Countries by Happiness Inequality

What Happiness Inequality Measures

Gap between higher and lower life-satisfaction scores; higher values mean more unequal well-being, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Happiness Inequality across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 1.63 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile (Finland) to 3.89 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile (Japan) — a 2-fold difference across 34 countries.

Regional Patterns

European countries dominate this ranking, holding 17 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 1.83 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile to 2.23 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile. The overall spread from 1.63 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile to 3.89 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile reflects significant global variation.

Notable Outliers

Japan holds a significant lead over Greece, with a 49% gap between first and second place. While several countries cluster near the top, the leader's margin is notable.

Continental Leaders

Asia

Japan

3.89 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile

Europe

Greece

2.61 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile

North America

Canada

2.38 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile

Oceania

New Zealand

2.00 Factor of lowest life satisfaction scores quintile