The United States tumbled to an all-time-low ranking in this year’s World Happiness Report — and a unique generational trend is to blame.
The report, released Wednesday by Gallup, ranked America the 23rd happiest country, down from 15th last year.
It’s the first time the U.S. has not ranked among the top 20 countries since the report was first published in 2012.
The report is compiled annually using the Gallup World Poll, which collects quality-of-life data from 140 countries.
What’s behind the record-low ranking?
America’s record decline is in part caused by souring levels of happiness among younger generations, who, unlike most of the world, are less happy than their older counterparts.
This generational contrast — also seen in Canada, Australia and New Zealand — marks a large shift from the late 2000s, when the younger generations were about as happy as older generations.
Loneliness is seen as one of the key factors contributing to this generational imbalance, with it being nearly twice as prevalent among millennials than in those born before 1965.
Interestingly, younger generations feel more lonely despite having more social interactions than their older counterparts, according to the report.
The findings follow other surveys that have found younger Americans are less satisfied than older Americans with their personal lives and the state of the economy.
How do other countries rank?
Finland topped the list of happiest countries for the seventh year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden — countries which have historically ranked high.
There was more change among the top 20 countries, with Costa Rica and Kuwait entering the mix for the first time.
Germany experienced a nearly identical decline to the U.S., falling from 16th to 24th place.
Afghanistan ranked as the least happy country on Earth, just behind Lebanon, Lesotho and Sierra Leone.
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