Mexico has been named the third happiest country in the world, according to the Happiness Index 2025, released this week by Ipsos, a global market research and polling company.
With 21% of respondents considering themselves “very happy” and 61% “somewhat happy,” Mexico checks in with a total of 82% in those two categories, trailing only India (88%) and the Netherlands (86%). It was ahead of Indonesia and Brazil (both 79%) in the top five.
In the same index last year, Mexico, at 83%, placed second behind the Netherlands’ 85% and ahead of Indonesia and India, both at 82%.
The results of the 30-nation study were released in conjunction with the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness, recognized every March 20.
That date is also when the U.N. releases its annual World Happiness Report — which is different from the Ipsos Happiness Index.
In the new World Happiness Report released this week, Mexico ranks 10th, a significant jump from its No. 25 ranking from a year ago and No. 36 two years ago.
Third in the Ipsos Happiness Index
The Ipsos survey focuses on self-reported happiness and explores factors contributing to happiness and unhappiness — such as family, relationships and financial situations.
Family and children are the most important contributors to happiness in Mexico, cited by 45% of respondents. Feeling appreciated and valued follows at 34%, reflecting the importance of interpersonal relationships in Mexican culture.
Mental health and well-being also play crucial roles, with 32% of respondents highlighting these factors. Physical health (cited by only 28% of respondents) and financial situation (23%) were less prominently valued.
Married Mexicans reported higher levels of happiness (87%) compared to singles (13%), and employment significantly impacts happiness, with 84% of employed individuals feeling happy versus 16% of the unemployed.
This year’s 30-nation average shows 16% of respondents worldwide as “very happy” — putting Mexico five percentage points above the world average — and 55% as “somewhat happy,” for a total world happiness score of 71%.
Globally, reported happiness has been declining in the index over the past 14 years, with 15 of the 20 countries surveyed in 2011 reporting lower happiness levels today.
The United States is one of them; at 68%, its No. 21 showing this year is 16 places lower than its 2011 ranking and seven places lower than its No. 14 ranking (72%) last year.
Canada (67%) took the No. 22 rank this year after placing No. 18 last year (71%). It has dropped 18 percentage points since 2011.
Turkey, the happiest country in 2011, has dropped 40 percentage points to 49%, making it the second-least happy nation in the 2025 survey, ahead of only Hungary (45%). The rest of the bottom five is occupied by Germany (64%), Japan (60%) and South Korea (50%).
Mexico makes a big leap in the UN Happiness Report
The World Happiness Report is compiled through a partnership involving Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre and the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
It conducted its most recent survey across 147 countries, compared to 30 for the Ipsos study.
The U.N. report ranks the countries by average life evaluations over the preceding three years, collecting data on six happiness variables.
Mexico, which found itself ranked No. 46 in 2020, climbed to No. 25 last year and ranked No. 10 this year.
In this study, Finland nailed down the No. 1 ranking for an eighth straight year, while the United States fell to No. 24 — its lowest ranking in this survey’s 25 years of existence.
Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands rounded out this year’s top five, with Costa Rica placing sixth to top all Latin American and Caribbean countries.
“In Mexico and Europe, a household size of four to five predicts the highest levels of happiness,” the study noted. “Couples who live with at least one child, or couples who live with children and members of their extended family, have especially high average life satisfaction.”
The report also found that “sharing meals with others is strongly linked with well-being across all global regions,” noting that “the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.”
With reports from Edomex Al Día, Tecno Empresa, Ipsos and El Sol de México
