Editorial: India, an unhappy Republic

Despite making considerable economic progress over the last few decades, India steadily slipping on global happiness index must be a wake-up call for lawmakers

Happiness, it is said, is a state of mind. However, in practice, the state of mind cannot be independent of the realities of the physical world. Any attempt to measure the happiness level of an individual must take into account the nature of the social milieu since individuals are integral parts of society. If the happiness of citizens is the yardstick, then India fares very poorly in the world, even worse than its Asian neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The latest World Happiness Report 2025, sponsored by the United Nations, puts India among the lowest rung in the global list. In a survey covering 147 countries, India was ranked at a pathetic 126, making it one of the least happy countries in the world. What is alarming is that India has been steadily slipping since the global happiness index was first launched in 2012, when it ranked at 111. The index, compiled by the UN-sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), uses distinct parameters to measure happiness such as per capita GDP, education, health and social support, life expectancy, freedom to make life choices and trust. Finland’s unbroken streak as the world’s happiest country continued for an eighth consecutive year while other Nordic countries like Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands are among the top ten happy nations. Social cohesion and a robust social safety net were common characteristics of the highest-ranking countries. The United States fell to 24th place, its lowest-ever level in the global ranking. At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan ranked the lowest, followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The annual report is published in collaboration with Gallup and the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre. Though India has made considerable economic progress over the last few decades, it isn’t reflected in the Happiness Index. The message is that India needs to adopt more focused, people-centric policies that result in a fair distribution of economic gains. Instead of trashing the report as a “western conspiracy to sully the country’s image”, we must take the findings as a wake-up call and work earnestly to improve the key development indicators. A sharp and sustained focus on employment, health and social support could help the country significantly improve its global standing. The index shows that India’s poor position is mainly because of the rising socioeconomic inequalities, lack of trust in governments and widespread perception of high corruption in political and administrative ranks. It means an average Indian on the street is angry, restive and frustrated. This is despite being a rising economy. The importance of having a job for happiness is a major factor and holds across all of the world’s regions. The people with a job evaluate the quality of their lives much more favourably than those unemployed. The data also shows that rising unemployment negatively affects everyone, even those still employed.

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