TRIESTE, Italy – The illycaffè company and the Ernesto Illy Foundation have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the World Happiness Report, the annual publication that has been investigating the level of happiness and well-being of individuals on a global scale since 2012.
illycaffè and the Ernesto Illy Foundation’s decision to support the World Happiness Report stems from the belief that coffee is synonymous with happiness: it sparks creativity, fosters social connections, contributes to personal and professional success, enhances life through its health benefits, and drives development in coffee-producing communities, thereby initiating a virtuous cycle of economic and social growth that resonates from the coffee cup to the regions where it is cultivated.
According to the latest findings of the World Happiness Report, Finland retains its title as the happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Denmark and Iceland. However, the United States has dropped out of the top 20 rankings for the first time, primarily due to a significant decline in the well-being of young Americans under 30. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list as the least happy nation, while Italy has slipped to 41st place, down eight spots from last year.
Analysis focusing on the age group of 10-24 reveals a gradual decline in life satisfaction from childhood through adolescence into adulthood. Trajectories of subjective well-being indicate a decrease from age 10 through late adolescence and adulthood, with variations observed across different groups and countries, particularly evident in lower-income nations.
Commenting on this, Andrea Illy, chairman of illycaffè and co-founder of the Ernesto Illy Foundation, remarked:
“We are living in a time of profound transformations globally that, exacerbated by wars, inflation and the decline of liberalism, contribute to generating a widespread sense of insecurity and, therefore, to losing the sense of happiness that allows people of any age to look to the future with greater confidence.
The International Day of Happiness (today, March 20) was established precisely to remind us that we are all called upon, with the means we have at our disposal, to foster the pursuit of happiness, to encourage sustainable development, the eradication of poverty and the well-being of people.
A message we also want to promote through our support of the World Happiness Report.” Andrea Illy further emphasized, “Our business model is based on the creation of economic, social and environmental value at all levels of the supply chain, from plant to cup. The projects carried out by illycaffè and the Ernesto Illy Foundation generate well-being for coffee producers and consumers around the world, and support the development of the hundreds of thousands of families who produce our precious coffee beans. Concern for health and inclusiveness are fundamental components of well-being and of our corporate identity.”
The ongoing mission of illycaffè and the Ernesto Illy Foundation involves safeguarding well-being, encompassing happiness and health, through sustainable projects benefiting communities in both coffee-producing and consuming countries. This commitment aligns with the objectives of Agenda 2030, focusing on knowledge sharing, education, and socio-economic growth for all communities, from the youngest members to adults.
The World Happiness Report
The result of a collaboration between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the WHR Editorial Board, the World Happiness Report, since its first publication in 2012, reflects a worldwide call for greater attention to happiness and well-being as criteria for government policies and examines the state of happiness in the world today. Gallup World Poll ratings form the basis for annual happiness rankings and come from nationally representative samples assessed over three years.
Starting this year, the project has been transitioned from Columbia University to the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center, led by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to empirical analysis of well-being. For the first time, the report offers separate rankings by age group, revealing significant variations from the overall rankings. Lithuania, for instance, leads in happiness among children and young adults under 30, while Denmark emerges as the happiest nation for individuals aged 60 and above. In intergenerational comparisons, those born before 1965 tend to report higher levels of happiness compared to those born after 1980.
The document is available at this link.
