Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Canada
Canada: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 6.74 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Canada, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Canada recorded 6.74 for happiness vs. life satisfaction in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Canada peaked at 7.5 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.74, in 2025.
That places Canada 24th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7.5 | — |
| 2012 | 7.48 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 7.43 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 7.4 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 7.32 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 7.33 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 7.28 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 7.23 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 7.1 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 7.03 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 6.96 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 6.9 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 6.8 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 6.74 | -0.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.74 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.37 | 7.23 | 7.5 | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.92 | 6.74 | 7.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More social development data for Canada
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 360 (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 360 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 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 Canada?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Canada was 6.74 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5 in 2011.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.74 in 2025.
- How does Canada rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Canada ranks 24th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.