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Costa Rica is one of the happiest countries in the world at 7.44 out of 10, above the United States at 6.82, on just over a third of its income per person.

The IMF's October 2026 World Economic Outlook, out Oct 13, updated income per person for every country. Set against the World Happiness Report 2026, it shows richer countries rate their lives higher, with large exceptions. Each dot is a country, in one lane per income band.

Curated by , co-founder of Ujeebu Published Editorial standards

The IMF's October 2026 World Economic Outlook, published Oct 13, gives every country a fresh income-per-person figure. Set beside the World Happiness Report 2026, those numbers confirm that money and life satisfaction move together across the happiest countries in the world, but only up to a point. The median happiness score rises from 4.47 out of 10 in countries earning under $10,000 a person to 6.79 in countries earning $50,000 or more. Yet Costa Rica scores 7.44 on just $32,320 per person, placing fourth of 147 countries in the world happiness report 2026 and beating the United States, which scores 6.82 on $90,267.

Sources: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026: Resilience Under Strain, Urgent Choices, ; World Happiness Report 2026 release,

Updated

Life satisfaction in 147 countries, by GDP per personCosta Rica scores 7.44 out of 10 on $32,320 a person; the United States 6.82 on $90,267.
Happiest countries in the world vs income: life satisfaction in 147 countries by GDP per capita, 2026Beeswarm chart of the happiest countries in the world: life evaluation scores for 147 countries in four lanes by GDP per capita, with Costa Rica at 7.44 above the United States at 6.82.Life evaluation, average score from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life)2.003.004.005.006.007.00$50,000 and more$25,000 to $50,000$10,000 to $25,000Under $10,000Median 5.94Finland: 7.76 ($50,000 and more)Iceland: 7.54 ($50,000 and more)Denmark: 7.54 ($50,000 and more)Sweden: 7.25 ($50,000 and more)Norway: 7.24 ($50,000 and more)Netherlands: 7.22 ($50,000 and more)Israel: 7.19 ($50,000 and more)Luxembourg: 7.06 ($50,000 and more)Switzerland: 7.02 ($50,000 and more)New Zealand: 7.00 ($50,000 and more)Ireland: 6.93 ($50,000 and more)Belgium: 6.93 ($50,000 and more)Australia: 6.92 ($50,000 and more)Germany: 6.88 ($50,000 and more)Slovenia: 6.87 ($50,000 and more)Austria: 6.84 ($50,000 and more)Czechia: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)United Arab Emirates: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Saudi Arabia: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Poland: 6.77 ($50,000 and more)Canada: 6.74 ($50,000 and more)Taiwan: 6.71 ($50,000 and more)Lithuania: 6.70 ($50,000 and more)United Kingdom: 6.69 ($50,000 and more)France: 6.59 ($50,000 and more)Singapore: 6.58 ($50,000 and more)Italy: 6.57 ($50,000 and more)Kuwait: 6.54 ($50,000 and more)Spain: 6.54 ($50,000 and more)Malta: 6.44 ($50,000 and more)Estonia: 6.41 ($50,000 and more)Bahrain: 6.25 ($50,000 and more)Japan: 6.13 ($50,000 and more)Cyprus: 6.13 ($50,000 and more)South Korea: 6.04 ($50,000 and more)Portugal: 6.03 ($50,000 and more)Croatia: 6.01 ($50,000 and more)Russia: 5.83 ($50,000 and more)Hong Kong: 5.57 ($50,000 and more)Mexico: 6.97 ($25,000 to $50,000)Serbia: 6.69 ($25,000 to $50,000)Uruguay: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Kazakhstan: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Romania: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Panama: 6.55 ($25,000 to $50,000)Argentina: 6.43 ($25,000 to $50,000)Latvia: 6.37 ($25,000 to $50,000)Chile: 6.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Thailand: 6.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Slovakia: 6.25 ($25,000 to $50,000)Oman: 6.20 ($25,000 to $50,000)Montenegro: 6.14 ($25,000 to $50,000)Dominican Republic: 6.09 ($25,000 to $50,000)China: 6.07 ($25,000 to $50,000)Malaysia: 6.00 ($25,000 to $50,000)Mauritius: 5.94 ($25,000 to $50,000)Hungary: 5.94 ($25,000 to $50,000)Trinidad and Tobago: 5.91 ($25,000 to $50,000)North Macedonia: 5.72 ($25,000 to $50,000)Bulgaria: 5.70 ($25,000 to $50,000)Greece: 5.70 ($25,000 to $50,000)Albania: 5.66 ($25,000 to $50,000)Georgia: 5.52 ($25,000 to $50,000)Turkey: 5.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Gabon: 5.17 ($25,000 to $50,000)Azerbaijan: 4.99 ($25,000 to $50,000)Kosovo: 6.91 ($10,000 to $25,000)Belize: 6.71 ($10,000 to $25,000)Brazil: 6.63 ($10,000 to $25,000)El Salvador: 6.58 ($10,000 to $25,000)Guatemala: 6.53 ($10,000 to $25,000)Vietnam: 6.43 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 6.38 ($10,000 to $25,000)Jamaica: 6.30 ($10,000 to $25,000)Uzbekistan: 6.28 ($10,000 to $25,000)Philippines: 6.21 ($10,000 to $25,000)Paraguay: 6.20 ($10,000 to $25,000)Ecuador: 6.14 ($10,000 to $25,000)Colombia: 6.04 ($10,000 to $25,000)Peru: 5.97 ($10,000 to $25,000)Mongolia: 5.94 ($10,000 to $25,000)Moldova: 5.85 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bolivia: 5.83 ($10,000 to $25,000)Libya: 5.73 ($10,000 to $25,000)Algeria: 5.71 ($10,000 to $25,000)Indonesia: 5.62 ($10,000 to $25,000)Armenia: 5.58 ($10,000 to $25,000)Laos: 5.51 ($10,000 to $25,000)Iraq: 5.21 ($10,000 to $25,000)Iran: 5.15 ($10,000 to $25,000)South Africa: 5.01 ($10,000 to $25,000)Tunisia: 4.80 ($10,000 to $25,000)Namibia: 4.78 ($10,000 to $25,000)Ukraine: 4.66 ($10,000 to $25,000)Morocco: 4.65 ($10,000 to $25,000)India: 4.54 ($10,000 to $25,000)Jordan: 4.48 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bangladesh: 4.32 ($10,000 to $25,000)Sri Lanka: 4.01 ($10,000 to $25,000)Eswatini: 3.91 ($10,000 to $25,000)Egypt: 3.86 ($10,000 to $25,000)Lebanon: 3.72 ($10,000 to $25,000)Botswana: 3.46 ($10,000 to $25,000)Nicaragua: 6.30 (Under $10,000)Honduras: 6.10 (Under $10,000)Kyrgyzstan: 6.05 (Under $10,000)Venezuela: 5.76 (Under $10,000)Tajikistan: 5.59 (Under $10,000)Mozambique: 5.34 (Under $10,000)Cote d'Ivoire: 5.15 (Under $10,000)Nepal: 5.15 (Under $10,000)Cameroon: 5.08 (Under $10,000)Niger: 4.94 (Under $10,000)Pakistan: 4.87 (Under $10,000)Nigeria: 4.79 (Under $10,000)Senegal: 4.79 (Under $10,000)Palestine: 4.69 (Under $10,000)Kenya: 4.67 (Under $10,000)Guinea: 4.61 (Under $10,000)Mali: 4.59 (Under $10,000)Ghana: 4.55 (Under $10,000)Somalia: 4.51 (Under $10,000)Uganda: 4.49 (Under $10,000)Mauritania: 4.47 (Under $10,000)Cambodia: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Congo: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Burkina Faso: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Benin: 4.39 (Under $10,000)Chad: 4.38 (Under $10,000)Lesotho: 4.38 (Under $10,000)Gambia: 4.31 (Under $10,000)Myanmar: 4.29 (Under $10,000)Liberia: 4.28 (Under $10,000)Togo: 4.28 (Under $10,000)Madagascar: 4.17 (Under $10,000)Zambia: 4.11 (Under $10,000)Ethiopia: 3.98 (Under $10,000)Comoros: 3.92 (Under $10,000)Tanzania: 3.90 (Under $10,000)Democratic Republic of Congo: 3.76 (Under $10,000)Yemen: 3.53 (Under $10,000)Zimbabwe: 3.35 (Under $10,000)Malawi: 3.28 (Under $10,000)Sierra Leone: 3.25 (Under $10,000)Afghanistan: 1.45 (Under $10,000)United States: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Costa Rica: 7.44 ($25,000 to $50,000)Costa Rica7.44United States6.82Iceland7.54Denmark7.54Afghanistan1.45Sierra Leone3.25Malawi3.28
Happiest countries in the world vs income: life satisfaction in 147 countries by GDP per capita, 2026Beeswarm chart of the happiest countries in the world: life evaluation scores for 147 countries in four lanes by GDP per capita, with Costa Rica at 7.44 above the United States at 6.82.Life evaluation, average score from 0 (worst possible life) to 10(best possible life)2.003.004.005.006.007.00$50,000 and more$25,000 to $50,000$10,000 to $25,000Under $10,000Median 5.94Finland: 7.76 ($50,000 and more)Iceland: 7.54 ($50,000 and more)Denmark: 7.54 ($50,000 and more)Sweden: 7.25 ($50,000 and more)Norway: 7.24 ($50,000 and more)Netherlands: 7.22 ($50,000 and more)Israel: 7.19 ($50,000 and more)Luxembourg: 7.06 ($50,000 and more)Switzerland: 7.02 ($50,000 and more)New Zealand: 7.00 ($50,000 and more)Ireland: 6.93 ($50,000 and more)Belgium: 6.93 ($50,000 and more)Australia: 6.92 ($50,000 and more)Germany: 6.88 ($50,000 and more)Slovenia: 6.87 ($50,000 and more)Austria: 6.84 ($50,000 and more)Czechia: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)United Arab Emirates: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Saudi Arabia: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Poland: 6.77 ($50,000 and more)Canada: 6.74 ($50,000 and more)Taiwan: 6.71 ($50,000 and more)Lithuania: 6.70 ($50,000 and more)United Kingdom: 6.69 ($50,000 and more)France: 6.59 ($50,000 and more)Singapore: 6.58 ($50,000 and more)Italy: 6.57 ($50,000 and more)Kuwait: 6.54 ($50,000 and more)Spain: 6.54 ($50,000 and more)Malta: 6.44 ($50,000 and more)Estonia: 6.41 ($50,000 and more)Bahrain: 6.25 ($50,000 and more)Japan: 6.13 ($50,000 and more)Cyprus: 6.13 ($50,000 and more)South Korea: 6.04 ($50,000 and more)Portugal: 6.03 ($50,000 and more)Croatia: 6.01 ($50,000 and more)Russia: 5.83 ($50,000 and more)Hong Kong: 5.57 ($50,000 and more)Mexico: 6.97 ($25,000 to $50,000)Serbia: 6.69 ($25,000 to $50,000)Uruguay: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Kazakhstan: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Romania: 6.63 ($25,000 to $50,000)Panama: 6.55 ($25,000 to $50,000)Argentina: 6.43 ($25,000 to $50,000)Latvia: 6.37 ($25,000 to $50,000)Chile: 6.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Thailand: 6.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Slovakia: 6.25 ($25,000 to $50,000)Oman: 6.20 ($25,000 to $50,000)Montenegro: 6.14 ($25,000 to $50,000)Dominican Republic: 6.09 ($25,000 to $50,000)China: 6.07 ($25,000 to $50,000)Malaysia: 6.00 ($25,000 to $50,000)Mauritius: 5.94 ($25,000 to $50,000)Hungary: 5.94 ($25,000 to $50,000)Trinidad and Tobago: 5.91 ($25,000 to $50,000)North Macedonia: 5.72 ($25,000 to $50,000)Bulgaria: 5.70 ($25,000 to $50,000)Greece: 5.70 ($25,000 to $50,000)Albania: 5.66 ($25,000 to $50,000)Georgia: 5.52 ($25,000 to $50,000)Turkey: 5.30 ($25,000 to $50,000)Gabon: 5.17 ($25,000 to $50,000)Azerbaijan: 4.99 ($25,000 to $50,000)Kosovo: 6.91 ($10,000 to $25,000)Belize: 6.71 ($10,000 to $25,000)Brazil: 6.63 ($10,000 to $25,000)El Salvador: 6.58 ($10,000 to $25,000)Guatemala: 6.53 ($10,000 to $25,000)Vietnam: 6.43 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 6.38 ($10,000 to $25,000)Jamaica: 6.30 ($10,000 to $25,000)Uzbekistan: 6.28 ($10,000 to $25,000)Philippines: 6.21 ($10,000 to $25,000)Paraguay: 6.20 ($10,000 to $25,000)Ecuador: 6.14 ($10,000 to $25,000)Colombia: 6.04 ($10,000 to $25,000)Peru: 5.97 ($10,000 to $25,000)Mongolia: 5.94 ($10,000 to $25,000)Moldova: 5.85 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bolivia: 5.83 ($10,000 to $25,000)Libya: 5.73 ($10,000 to $25,000)Algeria: 5.71 ($10,000 to $25,000)Indonesia: 5.62 ($10,000 to $25,000)Armenia: 5.58 ($10,000 to $25,000)Laos: 5.51 ($10,000 to $25,000)Iraq: 5.21 ($10,000 to $25,000)Iran: 5.15 ($10,000 to $25,000)South Africa: 5.01 ($10,000 to $25,000)Tunisia: 4.80 ($10,000 to $25,000)Namibia: 4.78 ($10,000 to $25,000)Ukraine: 4.66 ($10,000 to $25,000)Morocco: 4.65 ($10,000 to $25,000)India: 4.54 ($10,000 to $25,000)Jordan: 4.48 ($10,000 to $25,000)Bangladesh: 4.32 ($10,000 to $25,000)Sri Lanka: 4.01 ($10,000 to $25,000)Eswatini: 3.91 ($10,000 to $25,000)Egypt: 3.86 ($10,000 to $25,000)Lebanon: 3.72 ($10,000 to $25,000)Botswana: 3.46 ($10,000 to $25,000)Nicaragua: 6.30 (Under $10,000)Honduras: 6.10 (Under $10,000)Kyrgyzstan: 6.05 (Under $10,000)Venezuela: 5.76 (Under $10,000)Tajikistan: 5.59 (Under $10,000)Mozambique: 5.34 (Under $10,000)Cote d'Ivoire: 5.15 (Under $10,000)Nepal: 5.15 (Under $10,000)Cameroon: 5.08 (Under $10,000)Niger: 4.94 (Under $10,000)Pakistan: 4.87 (Under $10,000)Nigeria: 4.79 (Under $10,000)Senegal: 4.79 (Under $10,000)Palestine: 4.69 (Under $10,000)Kenya: 4.67 (Under $10,000)Guinea: 4.61 (Under $10,000)Mali: 4.59 (Under $10,000)Ghana: 4.55 (Under $10,000)Somalia: 4.51 (Under $10,000)Uganda: 4.49 (Under $10,000)Mauritania: 4.47 (Under $10,000)Cambodia: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Congo: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Burkina Faso: 4.46 (Under $10,000)Benin: 4.39 (Under $10,000)Chad: 4.38 (Under $10,000)Lesotho: 4.38 (Under $10,000)Gambia: 4.31 (Under $10,000)Myanmar: 4.29 (Under $10,000)Liberia: 4.28 (Under $10,000)Togo: 4.28 (Under $10,000)Madagascar: 4.17 (Under $10,000)Zambia: 4.11 (Under $10,000)Ethiopia: 3.98 (Under $10,000)Comoros: 3.92 (Under $10,000)Tanzania: 3.90 (Under $10,000)Democratic Republic of Congo: 3.76 (Under $10,000)Yemen: 3.53 (Under $10,000)Zimbabwe: 3.35 (Under $10,000)Malawi: 3.28 (Under $10,000)Sierra Leone: 3.25 (Under $10,000)Afghanistan: 1.45 (Under $10,000)United States: 6.82 ($50,000 and more)Costa Rica: 7.44 ($25,000 to $50,000)Costa Rica7.44United States6.82Afghanistan1.45Sierra Leone3.25

Source: World Happiness Report 2026, via Our World in Data, IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026. Collected Oct 25, 2026 with the Ujeebu API. Chart: Ujeebu, CC BY 4.0.

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Chart by Ujeebu, licensed CC BY 4.0: free to reuse with the credit Source: Ujeebu, "Happiest countries in the world vs income: life satisfaction in 147 countries by GDP per capita, 2026", https://ujeebu.com/data/happiest-countries-in-the-world-vs-income-2026 (CC BY 4.0). How to reuse

Key numbers

  • Costa Rica scores 7.44, fourth of 147 countries, on $32,320 of GDP per capita; the United States scores 6.82 on $90,267.
  • Does money buy happiness? Partly: the median score rises from 4.47 in countries under $10,000 a person to 6.79 at $50,000 and more.
  • Only 3 of the 57 countries richer than Costa Rica score higher: Finland (7.76), Iceland (7.54) and Denmark (7.54).
  • Mexico (6.97 on $25,684) and Kosovo (6.91 on $20,141) also outscore the United States on under a third of its income.
  • Hong Kong has $80,408 a person in the IMF's October 2026 data, yet scores 5.57, lowest in the $50,000 and more band.

Behind the numbers

Of the 57 countries richer than Costa Rica, only Finland (7.76), Iceland (7.54) and Denmark (7.54) score higher. Mexico scores 6.97 on $25,684 and Kosovo scores 6.91 on $20,141, both above the United States on less than a third of its income. At the other end, Hong Kong has $80,408 per person yet scores just 5.57, the lowest in the $50,000-and-above band. The data suggest that past a certain income, what a country does with its resources may matter as much as how much it has.

Is it true money can't buy happiness?

The question of whether money buys happiness, one of the most searched topics in wellbeing research, gets a nuanced answer from the data. The chart shows a clear pattern: median life satisfaction rises from 4.47 in the poorest income band to 6.79 in the richest. So income does matter, especially at low levels.

Research cited by White Coat Investor finds that a 2023 collaboration between Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Wharton senior fellow Matthew Killingsworth concluded that for the least happy 20% of people, emotional wellbeing plateaued at around $100,000 in income, while for the majority happiness continued to rise with income.4 Killingsworth's earlier work found that 74% of the link between income and happiness was explained by how much control people felt over their lives, suggesting autonomy matters as much as the money itself.4

The outliers in the chart make the same point. Costa Rica, Mexico and Kosovo all score above the United States on happiness despite earning far less. Does money buy happiness? Partly, and with diminishing returns: the countries that score highest tend to combine adequate income with strong social support, low corruption and personal freedom, factors the chart cannot capture in a single dot.

Why is Finland happier than the US?

Finland has ranked first in the World Happiness Report for nine of the past ten years, and the gap with the United States comes down to more than income.1 Residents point to a strong social safety net covering healthcare, education and transport, low perceived corruption, and a culture of trust.

Olli Salo, co-founder of Helsinki-based Skimle, told the BBC that Finland's high taxes come with a clear trade-off: "The majority of the really important things in life like health, education and transportation are public services, so why not splurge a bit and get those in high quality?"1 He also described Finnish workplaces as more collaborative, with less hierarchy and less "corporate theatre."1

By contrast, a Brookings Institution paper summarised on Oct 1 found that in the United States, trust in government fell 31 percentage points between 2006 and 2024, trust in the courts fell 24 points, and the share of Americans who feel free to choose how to live fell 19 points.2 Carol Graham, a senior fellow at Brookings and senior scientist at Gallup, said the U.S. "converts income growth into well-being less efficiently than the average country" and called it the most extreme case of what the paper terms "the paradox of unhappy growth."2 Finland's combination of trust, security and social investment appears to close that gap.

What makes Costa Rica so happy despite lower income?

Costa Rica's fourth-place finish, on $32,320 per person, is the chart's most striking outlier among the happiest countries in the world. The World Happiness Report 2026 marked the first time in the report's 14-year history that a Latin American country reached the top five, with Costa Rica jumping from 23rd place in 2023.1

Analysts and residents point to the country's "pura vida" philosophy, a lifestyle centred on balance, optimism and a close relationship with nature, as a core driver.5 The report evaluates countries on life satisfaction, social support, community connection and quality of life, and Costa Rica scores highly across those dimensions.5 Freedom to make life choices ranks highly among all top-five countries this year.1

That sense of community and hope, rather than income alone, may explain why Costa Rica sits above 57 wealthier nations in the happiness rankings.

Which countries have the best quality of life?

Quality of life rankings in 2026 point to a cluster of northern European nations as the best places to live by happiness by country and broader living standards. Finland, Iceland and Denmark occupy the top three spots in the World Happiness Report 2026, each scoring above 7.54 out of 10.1

Numbeo's 2026 quality-of-life data, analysed by Astons in October 2026, places the Netherlands first overall, ahead of Denmark in second and Luxembourg in third, based on safety, healthcare, purchasing power and environmental quality.3 The Netherlands scores 213.6 on Numbeo's composite index, with average net monthly salaries of roughly 4,200 to 4,800 euros and universal healthcare.3 Finland ranks sixth on that index at 204.4, reflecting long winters and high taxes alongside strong public services.3

The two rankings overlap considerably. Top-ranked countries tend to combine strong social support, higher income, longer life expectancy and greater personal freedom.6 The chart's own data reinforce this: the three countries that outscore Costa Rica, Finland, Iceland and Denmark, all appear in both the happiness top five and the quality-of-life top three.

How might slower global growth affect happiness scores?

What the research does show is that income and life satisfaction are connected, particularly at lower income levels, where the chart shows the steepest gains in median happiness.

Carol Graham of Brookings found that the United States already "converts income growth into well-being less efficiently than the average country," suggesting that aggregate growth does not automatically translate into higher happiness, especially where inequality is rising.2 Her paper found that the U.S. is "the most polarized democracy in the developed world" and that trust in institutions has fallen sharply over two decades, factors that weigh on wellbeing independently of income growth.2

If slower global growth squeezes household incomes in countries that are already below $10,000 per person, where the happiness gap is largest, the effect on scores could be more pronounced than in wealthier nations. But whether that shows up in future world happiness report data would depend on how the income losses are distributed and whether social support systems absorb the shock.

Sources

  1. BBC, The world's happiest countries for 2026 - and what they get ...
  2. Fortune, How a close look at the American Dream turned a top happiness expert into a specialist in despair: 'It’s harder to be poor in a very rich country',
  3. astons.com, Best Countries for Quality of Life 2026 - Astons
  4. whitecoatinvestor.com, Does Money Buy Happiness? What the Research Really ...
  5. haciendapinilla.com, Costa Rica Ranks 4th Among the World's Happiest Countries
  6. worldpopulationreview.com, Happiest Countries in the World 2026

The data

Life evaluation (World Happiness Report 2026, 2023 to 2025 average) and GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026) for 147 countries.
Country GDP per capita band Life evaluation (0 to 10) GDP per capita, PPP, 2025 (international dollars) Above or below the income trend (points)
Finland $50,000 and more 7.76 $67,097 1.14
Iceland $50,000 and more 7.54 $80,915 0.77
Denmark $50,000 and more 7.54 $87,303 0.71
Costa Rica $25,000 to $50,000 7.44 $32,320 1.4
Sweden $50,000 and more 7.26 $74,651 0.55
Norway $50,000 and more 7.24 $111,462 0.22
Netherlands $50,000 and more 7.22 $84,445 0.42
Israel $50,000 and more 7.19 $56,676 0.7
Luxembourg $50,000 and more 7.06 $152,894 -0.21
Switzerland $50,000 and more 7.02 $102,397 0.06
New Zealand $50,000 and more 7.00 $55,871 0.52
Mexico $25,000 to $50,000 6.97 $25,684 1.11
Ireland $50,000 and more 6.93 $147,825 -0.32
Belgium $50,000 and more 6.93 $76,136 0.2
Australia $50,000 and more 6.92 $72,108 0.24
Kosovo $10,000 to $25,000 6.91 $20,141 1.24
Germany $50,000 and more 6.88 $74,901 0.17
Slovenia $50,000 and more 6.87 $58,465 0.36
Austria $50,000 and more 6.85 $75,965 0.13
Czechia $50,000 and more 6.82 $60,899 0.28
United Arab Emirates $50,000 and more 6.82 $85,967 0
Saudi Arabia $50,000 and more 6.82 $75,823 0.1
United States $50,000 and more 6.82 $90,267 -0.04
Poland $50,000 and more 6.77 $55,940 0.29
Canada $50,000 and more 6.74 $67,054 0.12

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Methodology and known limits

What we measured. Life evaluation is the World Happiness Report's main happiness by country measure: Gallup World Poll respondents rate their own life on a ladder from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life). The World Happiness Report 2026 publishes each country's average over the 2023 to 2025 surveys. We took these scores from Our World in Data's copy of the report's data, collected on Oct 25, 2026, and checked them against the report's own online table (the 12 countries it shows on load matched exactly).

Income. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity, in current international dollars, for 2025, from the IMF World Economic Outlook database of October 2026 (DataMapper, last updated Oct 8, 2026), collected the same day. Kosovo and Palestine are matched to the IMF's Kosovo and West Bank and Gaza series.

What we counted. All 147 countries scored in the 2026 report have an IMF figure, so none were dropped. Each country is placed in one of four income bands: under $10,000, $10,000 to $25,000, $25,000 to $50,000, and $50,000 and more. The banding is our transformation of the IMF data. Medians are taken over the countries in a band. In the table, "above or below the income trend" is the gap between a country's score and the score a straight-line fit of score on the logarithm of GDP per capita gives for its income, across all 147 countries (the fit adds 0.55 points per doubling of income and explains 63% of the spread).

Known limits

  • Life evaluation is a survey average with a margin of error (the report publishes confidence intervals); countries a few hundredths apart are not meaningfully different.
  • The scores cover 2023 to 2025 and the income figures 2025, so the two do not line up year for year.
  • GDP per capita is an average: it says nothing about how income is shared, and purchasing power parity rates are estimates.
  • Across countries, income and happiness move together, but the chart cannot show that one causes the other; health, social support, freedom and trust also differ.
  • The report scores 147 countries; countries the Gallup World Poll did not survey in 2023 to 2025 are not in the chart.

We reviewed the sources' terms and robots.txt on Oct 25, 2026 before collecting. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Disclaimer: We make every effort to find high-quality data sources, but this data was extracted from the open web and we cannot guarantee its accuracy, completeness or reliability. Use it at your own risk.

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