Record share of people ‘thriving' globally — but North America is outlier: poll
But, despite the general rise in global well-being, some regions — including North America — remain distinct outliers.
These findings come from Gallup's most recent Life Evaluation Index, which sampled approximately 1,000 adults in 142 countries.
Respondents were asked to rate their current and future lives on a 0-10 scale, with those scoring seven or higher for the present and eight or higher for the future considered 'thriving.' Meanwhile, those scoring four or less for both were labeled 'suffering,' and everyone in between was classified as 'struggling.'
In 2024, a median of 33% of respondents across the sampled countries classified themselves as thriving. This marks the highest global share of thriving individuals ever recorded since 2007, the year Gallup began this survey.
By comparison, in 2023, a median of 31% of respondents said they were thriving, and in 2022, 30% said the same. This trend of steadily increasing well-being has been present for the past two decades.
'Rates of thriving have risen consistently across demographics,' Gallup noted. 'Men and women, young and old, all now rate their lives better than they did in the past.'
At the same time, the share of people classified as suffering has decreased to a median of 7%, matching the record-low reached in 2020.
However, the rise in life satisfaction has not been consistent across the world. Several regions — North America, Western Europe and Australia and New Zealand — have trended downward.
In North America, home to the U.S., a median of 49% of respondents reported thriving in 2024. While this is up 2 points from last year, it remains well below previous highs, including the 61% recorded in 2017.
Similarly, a median of 42% of respondents in Western Europe reported thriving in 2024. This is down from 44% in 2023, and down from a record-high 59% in 2019.
The global increase, then, is attributed to elevated well-being in most of the remaining regions, including Latin America, East and South Europe and Southeast Asia.
It's difficult to pinpoint what factors are responsible for this trend, but Gallup notes that increased living standards, economic optimism and satisfaction with personal freedoms could play a role.
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