Malta has ranked 40 out of 143 countries overall in the latest published Happiness report. The report, which covers the years from 2021-2023, shows Malta in 57th place when it comes to the younger generations, the last place among EU member states.
When it comes to people over 60 years old, Malta placed 31st out of all countries. It was also reported that in Malta, the upper-middle class was the least happy social group.
While Maltese young people say they are becoming increasingly unhappy, all other age groups appear to be happier than they were 15 years ago.
People aged between 45 and 59 showed the highest increase in happiness, scoring almost 0.8 higher than they did in the 2006 and 2010 period, while those over 60 scored 0.6 higher.
Overall, the happiest country is Finland, with the happiest people being those over 60 years old. The least happy are those under the age of 30. In fact, the 'young' category for the same country has reportedly placed seventh overall. The countries following Finland in the overall report are Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Israel, in this order.
The worst country in terms of happiness is reported to be Afghanistan.
Since the Happiness report covering 2006-2010, this latest report noted that Malta's overall happiness increased by 0.39%. The most notable positive difference was noted in Serbia with a drastic 1.85% increase. The most drastic decrease in happiness was noted in Afghanistan with a recorded -2.59%.
In its conclusion, the report said that the Covid-19 Pandemic has increased the benevolence of every generation, with a significant increase in those born from 1980 onwards. It also reported that the most contributing factors reportedly linked to the level of happiness is the feeling of social support.