Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia
Australia: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 6.92 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia is 6.92, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia peaked at 7.35 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.92, in 2025.
That places Australia 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7.34 | — |
| 2012 | 7.35 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 7.28 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 7.31 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 7.28 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 7.27 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 7.23 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 7.22 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 7.18 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 7.16 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 7.09 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 7.06 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 6.97 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 6.92 | -0.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 6.92 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Australia's 6.92 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.06, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.29 | 7.22 | 7.35 | 8 |
| 2020s | 7.06 | 6.92 | 7.18 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Australia was 6.92 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.35 in 2012.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.92 in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Australia ranks 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.