According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 70th out of 147 nations in terms of happiness, a 32-place drop from the most recent statistics released in 2017.
According to data presented in 2025, compared to 2017, the number of Trinidadians experiencing unpleasant emotions increased from 56 in 2017 to 104 in 2025.
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Additionally, the 2025 forecast lacks GDP and healthy life expectancy statistics.
In honor of the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness, the results were released on March 20. Leading authorities in welfare science analyze them using data from the Gallup World Poll and additional sources, such as the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll.
According to the study, happiness may also be indicated by one’s belief that someone will return a misplaced wallet.
“Believing that others are willing to return your lost wallet is also shown to be a strong predictor of population happiness: Nordic nations once again top the ranking of the world’s happiest countries, but they also rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets.”
The results demonstrate that pleasure and trust in other people’s compassion are far more tightly related than previously believed.
Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year, with Finns reporting an average score of 7.736 (out of 10) when asked to rate their life. The World Happiness Report 2025 also includes a rating of the happiest nations in the world.
Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) also make their debut appearances in the top 10, while the ongoing increasing trends for nations like Lithuania (16th), Slovenia (19th), and Czechia (20th) highlight how Eastern, Central, and Western Europe’s happiness levels are convergent.
While the UK (ranked 23rd) reports its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report, the US (ranked 24th) drops to its lowest-ever ranking.
A three-year average of each population’s average evaluation of their quality of life is used to determine country rankings. Then, using variables like GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to rely on, a sense of independence, generosity, and views of corruption, interdisciplinary specialists from economics, psychology, sociology, and other fields try to explain the differences across time and between nations.
While the rankings themselves are based only on responses provided by individuals when asked to assess their own lives, these factors aid in explaining the variations among countries.
Other results showed that several characteristics, including social support, home size, eating meals with others, and the frequency of good deeds, influence happiness.
Simon Fraser University social psychology professor Lara B. Aknin, who is also an editor of the World Happiness Report, stated, “Human happiness is driven by our relationships with others. Investing in positive social connections and engaging in benevolent actions are both matched by greater happiness.”
A veteran lost wallet researcher and founder editor of the World Happiness Report, John F. Helliwell, is an economist at the University of British Columbia. He stated,
“The wallet data are so convincing because they confirm that people are much happier living where they think people care about each other. The wallet-dropping experiments confirm the reality of these perceptions, even if they are everywhere too pessimistic.”
Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, stated, “Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back. This year’s report proves we underestimate how kind the world really is. If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
Professor of economics at the University of Oxford, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, head of the Wellbeing Research Centre, and editor of the World Happiness Report, said, “This year’s report pushes us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth. It turns out that sharing meals and trusting others are even stronger predictors of well-being than expected. In this era of social isolation and political polarization we need to find ways to bring people around the table again — doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing.”
The Wellbeing Research Center at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an independent editorial board, publishes the World Happiness Report.
John F. Helliwell (University of British Columbia), Richard Layard (London School of Economics and Political Science), Jeffrey D. Sachs (Columbia University), Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (University of Oxford), Lara B. Aknin (Simon Fraser University), and Shun Wang (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University) make up the editorial board.
