War-torn country bizarrely deemed 'happier place to live' than United States
Topics: News, World News, Israel
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Ahmad Hasaballah
Topics: News, World News, Israel
A war-torn country in the Middle East has ranked higher than the US when it comes to citizens' happiness.
This year, the US dropped to its lowest place on the World Happiness Report, which lists the happiest countries across the globe.
Published every year on International Day of Happiness, the list ranks 147 countries based on how they assess their quality of life.
While those living in Finland are seemingly pretty content, as the country has been named the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year, there are a few nations on the list that some people have found quite surprising.
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Compiled using data from more than 140 countries, the report is published annually by Gallup, the United Nations, and the University of Oxford.
Israel, which is still at war with Hamas, ranked eighth, despite the ongoing conflict.
The war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023 when the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hostage around 250 others.
However, in January this year, Hamas and Israel agreed a deal to halt the conflict and release hostages.
Despite the deal, this month the ceasefire appeared to come to an end after Israel launched air strikes on what they said were Hamas targets in Gaza.
The Israeli military said they were 'pre-emptive strikes... based on Hamas's readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm'.
While the prime minister's office said the strikes came after 'repeated refusal to release our hostages'.
Meanwhile, Hamas responded accusing Israel of having 'decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement'.
This year, the US has dropped one place lower in the happiness list, ranking 24th in the world, with its peak highest spot being at 11th place back in 2012.
The report explained how sharing meals had a big impact on happiness levels, noting how the number of Americans who eat alone had increased over 50 percent in the last 20 years.
"In 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day — an increase of 53% since 2003," the research explained.
"Dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but especially for young people."
The report also noted the 'rise in political polarization and votes against 'the system'' had an impact on the US's ranking, adding: "The country-wide evolution of happiness and trust is highly associated with the rise in the likelihood of voting for anti-system parties in Western Europe and the United States."