Despite another year of war on multiple fronts, prolonged instability, and national trauma, Israel remains near the top of the World Happiness Report and is once again ranked 8th in the world in the 2026 edition released today.
It is a striking result not only in international terms, but also in the Israeli context: At a time when the public is living under emotional strain, uncertainty, and ongoing exhaustion, Israel still ranks among the ten countries with the highest levels of life satisfaction.
The most remarkable finding in this year’s report concerns young people. Israelis under the age of 25 are the happiest age group within Israeli society and rank 3rd in the world. In other Western countries, by contrast, the picture is far weaker. In the United States, for example, young people have fallen to 60th place. Israel’s other age groups also rank highly, at around 11th place overall.
According to Anat Fanti, a happiness policy researcher at the Program in Science, Technology and Society at Bar-Ilan University, these figures suggest that even under the strain of prolonged war, the deeper sources of Israeli resilience -- family ties, community, faith, a sense of belonging, and strong social bonds -- are helping large parts of society remain well above the global average.
It is important to note that the World Happiness Report does not measure the “national mood," nor the intensity of the emotional upheaval of recent weeks, months, or even years. It is based on overall life evaluation, which relies to a considerable extent on broader social and structural variables, including economic stability, the quality of healthcare services, social support, and charitable giving. In addition, the ranking is based on a three-year average, and the report itself makes clear that extreme events (and certainly war) may be only partially reflected in the data. In other words, Israel’s high ranking does not contradict the emotional crisis; rather, it suggests that broad happiness indicators primarily reflect deeper layers of resilience within society, rather than the turmoil of the moment.
At the same time, however, once emotional indicators and measures of public trust are taken into account, a more complicated picture emerges: beneath Israel’s resilience lie stress, exhaustion, and a continuing erosion of public trust. According to the data in the report, Israel has risen from 119th place before the war to 39th in the world on measures of worry, sadness, and anger. At the same time, public trust in state institutions continues to erode, as reflected in the perception of corruption indicator, where Israel has fallen to 107th place.
Fanti said: “Israel’s result in this year’s World Happiness Report does not erase the psychological and social cost of the war. On the contrary, it highlights the gap between the resilience of Israeli society and the difficult emotional reality of daily life. The fact that Israel is still ranked 8th in the world -- and that young Israelis in particular are ranked 3rd -- points to the strengths of Israel’s population in comparison to other countries. At the same time, the rise in worry, sadness and anger, together with the erosion of public trust, makes clear that resilience is not immunity."
“In an election year," Fanti added, “this report also carries a clear public and political message. If Israel wishes to preserve its place at the top of the World Happiness Index, it cannot rely solely on ‘natural’ civic resilience. What is needed is active policy aimed at rebuilding public trust, strengthening social and mental health services, and reinforcing the sources of cohesion that enable Israeli society to endure even under difficult conditions. The 2026 report shows that Israeli society is still very strong but reminds us that resilience cannot last forever."