In a world where news often showcases division and strife, it’s easy to overlook the profound impact kindness has on our happiness.
According to the World Happiness Report 2025, the quality of our society – its kindness and generosity – plays a pivotal role in our overall wellbeing.
Are We Living in a Kind Society?
The question of whether we live in a compassionate community or country may seem like an abstract one, especially when we’re constantly confronted with unkindness in the media.
However, as the World Happiness Report highlights, how benevolent our society is – and how benevolent we perceive it to be – has a significant impact on our life satisfaction.
Compiled from the annual Gallup World Poll, which surveys about 1,000 people per country, the report ranks nations based on the average life satisfaction of residents.
In 2025, Finland emerged once again as the happiest country, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
In a notable shift, the report’s authors pointed out that for the first time, none of the large industrial powers made it into the top 20. “Western industrial countries have generally become less happy since 2010,” they note.
Measuring Kindness Across the Globe
This year’s report didn’t just rank countries based on life satisfaction. It also delved into various categories that assess kindness and generosity. The rankings were based on actual behaviours such as charitable donations, volunteering, and helping strangers in the past month. They also examined how people perceive the kindness of others by asking questions about lost wallets – whether neighbours, strangers, or even police officers would return a found wallet.
Interestingly, these perceptions are powerful indicators of happiness.
The researchers found that the belief that someone would return a lost wallet reflects trust in one’s local community, with people who have higher expectations of others’ kindness reporting greater life satisfaction.
In fact, believing that a lost wallet would be returned boosts life satisfaction more than a significant increase in income. In some cases, it was even more impactful than being employed or feeling safe from crime.
The Kindness Rankings
When it comes to kindness behaviour, the data paints a clear picture of generosity across different regions:
• Donating to charity: Indonesia, Myanmar, Ukraine, the U.K., Iceland
• Volunteering: Indonesia, Liberia, Kenya, Tajikistan, Nigeria
• Helping a stranger: Jamaica, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, Sierra Leone
• Expecting a neighbour to return a wallet: Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Austria
• Expecting a stranger to return a wallet: Norway, Iran, Algeria, Netherlands, Finland
• Expecting police to return a wallet: Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, New Zealand
Nordic countries, renowned for their high levels of trust and happiness, are the most likely to believe that a lost wallet will make its way back to its owner without much hassle.
How Kindness Enhances Our Happiness
The World Happiness Report has observed a trend of increased kindness since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with significant rises in donations, volunteering, and helping strangers globally.
Although these activities dipped slightly in 2024, they remain about 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with helping strangers up by 18%.
But perhaps the most surprising finding was that our perception of kindness matters even more than the kindness we actually encounter.
People who believe others will be kind – such as returning a lost wallet – tend to be happier.
These perceptions have a greater impact on life satisfaction than a doubling of income or even the negative effects of mental health struggles or crime.
In fact, countries where citizens have a strong belief in others’ kindness tend to be happier overall. And this belief in kindness not only boosts personal wellbeing, it also creates a more resilient society.
People who trust others, and who feel that their neighbours and communities will treat them fairly, are better able to cope with life’s challenges, such as unemployment, health issues, or even discrimination.
Changing Our Perceptions of Kindness
Despite the evident benefits of kindness, there’s a tendency for people to underestimate the goodwill of others.
Research across 40 countries has shown that people consistently expect fewer acts of kindness than what actually occurs. In one study, 80% of lost wallets in Toronto were returned – far more than the 23% the residents of Toronto expected.
As the report’s authors note, this misplaced pessimism can lead to unnecessary unhappiness. But by shifting our focus to the positive actions around us, we can improve our own outlook and perhaps even inspire others to do the same. One study found that university students, once they learned how empathetic their peers were, were more likely to connect with others and build stronger social networks.
Small Acts, Big Impact
At the heart of the World Happiness Report is a simple yet powerful message: small acts of kindness, like returning a lost wallet, matter more than we might think. They serve as reminders that we can count on each other, and that despite the challenges we face, our communities are often kinder than we perceive. These seemingly trivial actions can ripple out, fostering a culture of trust and compassion that boosts everyone’s happiness.
Even as we work toward larger societal changes, it’s the little things – how we treat one another on a day-to-day basis – that make a world of difference. So the next time you find a lost wallet, remember: your small act of kindness might just make someone’s day – and maybe even their life.
