6 Key Highlights from the 2024 World Happiness Report: Is the Caribbean Happy?

The 2024 World Happiness Report has named Finland as the happiest country in the world. Among Latin American and Caribbean countries, Costa Rica emerged at the top. This is the first time Costa Rica has entered the top 20, a distinction it shared with Kuwait this year. Conversely, the U.S. and Germany dropped out of the top 20, indicating a shift in the ranking.

The report offers several insights about happiness in the Latin American/Caribbean region. Firstly, it reveals that populations that age tend to be less happy. Happiness levels among males and females under 30 are equivalent, but an increasing gap emerges with age, favoring females. However, it is also observed that women, in general, are more unhappy than men as they have more frequent negative emotions at all ages.

Equitable access to amenities has been identified as a crucial determinant of happiness. According to the report, happiness distribution inequality mirrors access disparities to resources that directly and indirectly support well-being, including income, education, healthcare, social acceptance, trust, and supportive social environments. Consequently, countries with greater happiness equality have happier residents.

The report also noted features specific to certain generations. Millennials and Gen Z are reportedly more likely to perform acts of kindness, a behavior associated with higher happiness levels. This trend was particularly observable during the pandemic. However, despite relatively frequent social connections, millennials reported feeling lonelier than previous generations, even feeling less socially supported than boomers.

The report’s rankings are based on the average assessment of quality of life by each country’s population over a three-year period. Experts from economics, psychology, sociology, and other fields interpret the variations across countries and time using factors such as GDP, life expectancy, the availability of support, freedom feelings, generosity, and corruption perceptions. Importantly, the report’s happiness scores are founded on each country’s resident population assessments of their lives, irrespective of their citizenship or place of birth.