Share of people who say they are happy in United States

United States: Share of people who say they are happy was 88.2% in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
88.2%
World rank
18th
of 39 countries
All-time high
93.8%
in 1998
All-time low
87.9%
in 1993
Years of data
7
1984–2022

Share of people who say they are happy in United States, 1984–2022

0204060801001984200320221984: 90.3 %1993: 87.9 %1998: 93.8 %2004: 93.1 %2010: 93.1 %2014: 89.5 %2022: 88.2 %

Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of people who say they are happy in United States is 88.2%, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are happy in United States peaked at 93.8% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 87.9%, in 1993.

United States ranks 18th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of people who say they are happy in United States, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are happy in United States, 1984 to 2022.
Year % Change
1984 90.3%
1993 87.9% -2.7%
1998 93.8% +6.8%
2004 93.1% -0.8%
2010 93.1% +0.1%
2014 89.5% -3.8%
2022 88.2% -1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 90.3% 90.3% 90.3% 1
1990s 90.9% 87.9% 93.8% 2
2000s 93.1% 93.1% 93.1% 1
2010s 91.3% 89.5% 93.1% 2
2020s 88.2% 88.2% 88.2% 1

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 15 Spain 88.8% compare
  2. 16 Belarus 88.5% compare
  3. 17 Japan 88.3% compare
  4. 19 Germany 86.4% compare
  5. 20 Czechia 86.3% compare
  6. 21 Argentina 85.7% compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are happy in United States?
Share of people who say they are happy in United States was 88.2% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are happy recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 93.8% in 1998.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are happy recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 87.9% in 1993.
How does United States rank for share of people who say they are happy?
United States ranks 18th out of 39 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of people who say they are happy rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are happy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are happy in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are happy
Unit
%
Source
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 224 data points, 1984–2022
Last refreshed

% of respondents replying "very happy" or "quite happy" when asked "Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, quite happy, not very happy or not at all happy?"