While mental health is a common element in our daily discourse now, it's still one of the most misunderstood and ignored concepts. And that, loudly, reflects in a country's happiness score.

The World Happiness Report for 2024 is out and you wouldn't be surprised to find that although Finland has, for the seventh consecutive year, clinched the first place, India continues to lag behind. It was placed on 126th position out of 143 countries, with a happiness score of 4.054. India's ranking, lower than that of its neighbouring countries like Nepal (93rd), China (60th), Pakistan (108th), Myanmar (118th) has deteriorated since the pandemic, with an aggravating mental health crisis.

India was ranked 125th in 2023. Similarly, countries like the United States and Germany have taken a tumble in their rankings. Afghanistan was ranked as the least happy country, arriving after Congo, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Lebanon.

The top 10 countries, reportedly, have maintained their positions. These include Finland (with a happiness score of 7.344), Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel in the top five. These are followed by Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia in the cream of the league.

Published by the Wellbeing Research Centre of University of Oxford, the annual report is based on an array of factors like contentment, well-being, equality, income per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, work-life balance, trust (in government, business and people in general), generosity, among others.

Read the entire report to know more.