The International Day of Happiness, celebrated on March 20, is a day to promote happiness as a key factor in leading a healthy and disease-free life. Recognized by the United Nations (UN), happiness is considered a fundamental objective of human life. The UN prioritizes the importance of happiness, advocating for governments and international organizations to nurture the conditions that foster happiness, protect human rights, and incorporate well-being and environmental sustainability into policy frameworks, as outlined in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN stresses that governments should uphold peace and social order, ensuring efficiency in areas such as taxation, legal systems, and public service delivery to increase citizens’ overall satisfaction. In line with this goal, the UN declared March 20 as the International Day of Happiness in 2012.
World Happiness Report 2025 Released
On Thursday, the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an independent editorial board, released the World Happiness Report 2025. According to the report, Finland once again ranked as the happiest country, followed by Denmark and Iceland. Some countries, including Sudan and Syria, were not ranked due to unfavorable conditions preventing survey data collection.
Key Factors for Happiness
The World Happiness Report evaluates countries based on self-assessed life satisfaction averages from 2022-24. The primary factors influencing happiness rankings include GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
Theme of the International Day of Happiness 2025: Caring and Sharing
The theme for this year’s International Day of Happiness is “Caring and Sharing,” as highlighted in the 2025 Happiness Report, emphasizing the importance of compassion and community in fostering global well-being.
Background of International Happiness Day
The concept of World Happiness Day was first proposed by Bhutan in the 1970s, a country known for prioritizing Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product. The UN General Assembly officially proclaimed the International Day of Happiness in Resolution 66/281 on July 12, 2012, underscoring the significance of happiness and well-being as global aspirations.
The resolution called for a more inclusive, equitable, and balanced approach to economic growth, one that promotes sustainable development, the elimination of poverty, and the well-being of all people.
(With agency inputs)
