That old adage that your best years are when you’re young might no longer be true — in the U.S., at least.
People age 60 and older are the happiest Americans, according to the latest World Happiness Report, based on survey data from Gallup that’s analyzed by scientists who specialize in well-being.
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While the U.S. fell down eight spots in its overall happiness rank, from 15th to 23rd (the first time the U.S. hasn’t made the top 20), the drop was due to a decline in happiness levels among younger generations, not older, according to the report released Tuesday. March 20 is the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness.
In fact, Americans in the oldest age group, 60 and older, made the top 10 (coming in at number 10) in the world for happiest people. The age group just below, 45-59, was not far behind at number 17.
Which other countries have the happiest older adults? Scandinavia dominated many of the top 10 lists for both older age groups.Why? It comes down to higher levels of happiness among all age groups fostered by a general trust in their social support system in Nordic countries, says John Helliwell, founding editor for the report and professor emeritus at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia. When many people have access to elements of life that support well-being, the happiness levels are more equal (and higher) among different demographics in those countries, he says.
“It’s not just about what income you have. It’s what education you have access to, what health care you have access to, how safe are the streets in which you walk, how friendly are your neighbors, do you have access to equality of regard, regardless of your color, religion, or background?” When those are high, says Helliwell, then more people across demographics will be happy. Helliwell says Nordic countries have generally mastered that.
For the 60-plus demographic, the list was topped by (in order): Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and the United States. At the bottom of the list: Lebanon, Zambia and, ranked last, Afghanistan.
The Gallup survey asked respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10 and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale. The data was analyzed by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in the U.K.
For ages 45-59, many of the same names show up in the top 10, albeit in a different order and with a couple of exceptions. Finland came in at number 1, followed by Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, Kuwait and Australia.
The other countries that beat out the U.S. in this age group were Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. The least happy country for this age group was also Afghanistan.
