Australia has once again fallen outside the world’s top 10 happiest nations in the latest World Happiness Report, maintaining its 11th-place position from the previous year amid ongoing discussions about social connections, economic pressures and generational wellbeing trends, according to data released in early 2026.

The annual World Happiness Report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks countries based on how people evaluate their own lives on a 0-10 Cantril Ladder scale. The 2026 edition, building on surveys from 2023-2025, continues to highlight Nordic dominance at the top while noting shifts in other regions.

Finland retained its crown as the happiest country for the ninth consecutive year, with a score of approximately 7.74 out of 10. Denmark followed closely in second, then Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands rounding out the top five. Costa Rica and Norway held strong positions in the upper ranks, with Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico completing the top 10 in various analyses.

Australia scored around 6.97 to 7.06 in recent compilations, placing it solidly at 11th — just behind Mexico and ahead of New Zealand at 12th. This marks a continuation of a gradual slide: Australia was 10th in 2024 before dropping to 11th in 2025 and holding steady into 2026. The slight dip reflects broader patterns in English-speaking countries, where younger generations have reported declining life satisfaction in recent reports.

The rankings draw from Gallup World Poll data, averaging life evaluations over three years to smooth annual fluctuations. Six key variables explain much of the differences: GDP per capita, social support (having someone to count on in times of trouble), healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption. Additional factors like positive and negative emotions, benevolence acts (donating, volunteering, helping strangers) and caring behaviors featured prominently in recent editions.

In the 2025 report — the most recent full edition widely referenced as of early 2026 — the focus was on “caring and sharing,” examining how acts of kindness and social bonds boost both givers’ and receivers’ happiness. Researchers found people often underestimate others’ willingness to help, leading to missed opportunities for connection. The 2026 edition is anticipated to delve into social media’s complex role in wellbeing, following a call for proposals in mid-2025 to address debates over its impact on youth happiness and global trends.

Experts attribute Nordic success to strong social safety nets, high trust in institutions, work-life balance and access to nature. Finland’s consistent lead stems from robust social support, low corruption perceptions and a culture emphasizing equality and community.
For Australia, the 11th ranking remains respectable among 140+ nations but signals challenges. High GDP per capita and life expectancy bolster its score, yet factors like social isolation among youth, housing affordability pressures and work-related stress may contribute to the slide. Reports note a gradual decline in Australian happiness scores since the early 2010s, mirroring trends in the United States (24th in 2025) and other Anglophone nations where younger people report lower satisfaction.

The report underscores generational divides. In many wealthy countries, including Australia, older adults tend to rate their lives higher than younger cohorts. English-speaking nations show sharper youth declines, potentially linked to social media, economic uncertainty and changing social norms. Benevolence measures — such as donating or helping strangers — rank Australia well (often in the top 20-30 globally), suggesting strong community spirit despite overall life evaluation dips.

Comparatively, Latin American entries like Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) highlight how strong family ties, cultural emphasis on relationships and optimism can elevate happiness despite lower GDP. These nations entered or re-entered the top 10 recently, displacing some traditional high-rankers.

The United States continued its downward trajectory to 24th in 2025, its lowest ever, attributed to polarization, inequality and youth mental health struggles. Canada (18th) and the United Kingdom (23rd) also lagged behind Nordic peers.
Australia’s position prompts reflection on policy priorities. Advocates call for investments in mental health services, affordable housing and community programs to strengthen social support. The country’s high volunteerism and helping-stranger rates offer strengths to build upon.

The World Happiness Report does not dictate policy but informs it. Governments increasingly use wellbeing metrics alongside GDP. Australia’s steady high ranking affirms quality of life advantages — universal healthcare, natural beauty, outdoor lifestyle — while the drop from top-10 status urges attention to emerging issues.

As the 2026 report’s full details emerge (expected around March 20, International Day of Happiness), focus may shift to social media’s dual role: connecting people yet contributing to comparison and isolation, especially among youth.

For Australians, the ranking serves as both reassurance and reminder: life down under remains enviable by global standards, yet sustaining happiness requires nurturing social bonds in a changing world.

The full dataset and interactive tools are available on worldhappiness.report, allowing comparisons across variables and years.

In a 6-day trading week, the Nifty traded with heightened volatility throughout the week and ended with gains. The week was marked by sharp swings as markets first reacted nervously to the Union Budget announced on Sunday, followed by a strong positive response to the India–US deal that led to a gap-up move.

As a result, the index oscillated in a wide intra-week range of 1661.80 points before settling higher. India VIX cooled off meaningfully over the week, declining by about 12%, reflecting easing volatility after the event-heavy phase.

On a weekly basis, the Nifty posted a gain of 373 points. Structurally, the broader trend of the market remains positive, though the index is currently navigating a consolidation phase after a strong up-move.

On the weekly chart, Nifty continues to hold above its key medium-term moving averages, but recent price action shows hesitation near the upper end of the rising channel. The index is dealing with a supply zone around the recent highs, where selling pressure has emerged repeatedly.

While the primary trend is still up, a sustained move above the recent swing high would be required to reassert momentum on the upside, whereas a decisive break below the lower end of the recent consolidation band could trigger a deeper corrective move. For the coming week, the markets may see a positive start after the volatile but event driven week gone by.
Immediate resistance for the Nifty is placed around 26,000, followed by a stronger hurdle near 26,300. On the downside, supports are seen at 25,400, with the next important support placed near 24,850, which also coincides with key moving average support.
Momentum indicators present a neutral-to-slightly-positive picture. The weekly RSI is placed near 53, staying in the neutral zone and not indicating any bullish or bearish divergence against price.
The weekly MACD remains below its signal line, but the histogram has started to narrow, suggesting a loss of downside momentum. On the candlestick front, the week has resulted in a relatively long-range candle, highlighting volatility and indecision near higher levels rather than outright strength.

From a pattern perspective, the weekly chart shows Nifty closing above the falling trendline support. The recent pullback from the highs does not damage the larger trend, as the index continues to trade comfortably above its 50-week and 100-week moving averages. This setup suggests that the long-term trend is intact, but short-term consolidation cannot be ruled out.

Given the current setup, traders and investors should adopt a balanced and selective approach in the coming week. Aggressive long positions may be avoided until the index shows a clear breakout above resistance, while existing positions should be managed with disciplined trailing stops to protect gains. Fresh opportunities are likely to remain stock-specific rather than index-led.

Overall, the focus for the week ahead should be on prudent risk management, selective participation, and closely tracking how the index behaves around the identified support and resistance zones.

In our look at Relative Rotation Graphs®, we compared various sectors against the CNX500 (NIFTY 500 Index), representing over 95% of the free-float market cap of all the listed stocks.

Relative Rotation Graphs (RRG) show that the Nifty Financial Services, IT, Banknifty, Services Sector, Metal, and the PSU Bank Indices are inside the leading quadrant of the RRG. While some relative momentum is being lost on the PSU Banks, these groups will continue to relatively outperform the broader markets.

The Nifty Midcap 100 Index has rolled inside the weakening quadrant. This may see a slowdown in the Midcap Index’s relative performance. Along with this, the Nifty Auto and the Infrastructure Indices are also inside the weakening quadrant.

The Nifty Realty and the FMCG Indices languish inside the lagging quadrant with the Realty Index showing a slight improvement in its relative momentum. The Energy Index has rolled inside the improving quadrant. Besides this, the Media Index is also inside the improving quadrant.

Important Note: RRG™ charts show the relative strength and momentum of a group of stocks. In the above Chart, they show relative performance against NIFTY500 Index (Broader Markets) and should not be used directly as buy or sell signals.

(The author Milan Vaishnav is CMT, MSTA Consulting Technical Analyst)

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

The Dow industrials crossed the 50000-point threshold for the first time Friday.

The blue-chip average soared more than 2%, about 1,100 points, to the new record level. All but two of the 30 stocks in the blue-chip average rose on the day. Nvidia gained around 7%. Caterpillar added 6%. 3M rose 4%.

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The agency behind a previous viral and controversial Super Bowl ad returns to the big game with a new spot and familiar mission: to “invite all people one step closer to the authentic Jesus from wherever they are.”

Come Near, the organization responsible for the “He Gets Us” campaign, will air a new advertisement during Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. 

The video, titled “Is there more to life than more?” and directed by filmmaker Salomon Ligthelm, “invites people to rethink what Jesus says about societal pressure, doubt, and fulfillment,” according to a release shared with FOX Business.

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Simon Armour, Come Near’s chief creative officer, says the group emphasizes a “neighbor-led” approach, which inspired the themes for this project.

“One of the things that kept coming up was this feeling of people just having a lot of noise in their life and being able to find peace [amongst] that noise, which is proving very difficult for them,” Armour told FOX Business.

After extensive research, Come Near designed the “Loaded Words” campaign, which looks at words in culture that “have a promise to them,” Armour said.

The spot features various shots of people scrolling through social media, a child sitting with an abundance of toys, students in a classroom using what appears to be virtual reality headsets, and a plastic surgeon examining a man’s face.

The shots are featured in a fast-paced sequence, until the ad’s final shot, which features a woman in the desert who appears to be looking at the sky.

“There’s more to life than more,” the on-screen text concludes.

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Armour said the spot looks at the “absurdity” of chasing materialistic things such as money, but also things such as influence and recognition. He said the video attempts to “hold up a mirror.”

“Really, that’s our hope in the spot is that [viewers] feel seen and heard, that it is a reflection of where they’re at and what they’re doing,” Armour said. “Jesus never leaves us in the place that he finds us. He offers something more beyond that.”

The ad will air nationwide in the second half of the game, according to the release. The group utilizes what Armour described as a “tent pole strategy.” 

“We look at moments in culture where people are really gathering around … the Super Bowl represents another one of those moments where people are really coming together,” Armour said. “I think [it is] a good opportunity for us to again invite people to consider Jesus’ perspective on things that our neighbor is telling us they’re struggling with in their own lives.”

Come Near had an ad played during the Super Bowl in 2024, which was met with backlash on social media from both the right and left.

In response, Armour said Come Near’s previous work was “recognized for commenting on culture,” but this year, the group wanted to “turn that reflection inward.”

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“I think there’s been a natural evolution of the work,” he said. “After four years, campaigns obviously just naturally evolve to stay fresh and still get people’s attention … We didn’t go to that place of being more personal again, because we thought it was a good idea, it was really based on what our neighbor is telling us.”

Come Near has two other ads that will air in various regional markets, including Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Denver, Wichita, Kansas, Kansas City and Oklahoma City.

“He Gets Us” is a campaign that “invites all people to consider Jesus and why he matters,” which started in 2021.

The campaign “has brought Jesus into some of culture’s biggest spaces and conversations,” according to its website, and videos on its YouTube channel have amassed 10 million views, a spokesperson said.

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Armour said he hopes that the latest video will help people “take a step” towards Jesus.

“We really judge success based on the pursuit of our mission,” he said. “There’s many ways in which we measure that idea of one step … our hope really is that whatever that looks like for them, that they do take a step towards Jesus.”

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