The 2026 report, based on interviews with roughly 100,000 people across 140+ countries, reinforces that happiness is not solely about wealth. Social support and trust in institutions often outweigh raw GDP in explaining national differences. Costa Rica’s surge into the top four proves that strong community ties and life satisfaction can propel mid-income nations upward.
Beyond records, impacts could include intensified heatwaves, coral bleaching, and disruptions to agriculture and water supplies across multiple continents. In regions like India, where monsoon rains support hundreds of millions, a developing El Niño often correlates with weaker rainfall, though exact outcomes depend on the event’s strength and timing.
Such collaborations are expected to yield faster development of new interventions, strengthen training pipelines, and create models that other institutions can replicate.
Despite the escalating emergency, the Taliban administration has continually sought to project an image of economic stability. Yet, the stark realities on the ground – shuttered trade routes, skyrocketing grocery bills, and overcrowded malnutrition clinics – tell a vastly different story.
According to the latest integrated food security phase classification (IPC) analysis, approximately 7.5 million people across vulnerable regions are grappling with high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.
While approximately 90 per cent of the land identification process has been completed, displaced communities remain uncertain about when permanent housing will become available. For many survivors, the prolonged wait for safe housing continues to compound the trauma of the disaster.
The Commission stresses that these threats are not distant or abstract. Some already impose heavy burdens; others carry low-probability but catastrophic potential.
The Commission stresses that these threats are not distant or abstract. Some already impose heavy burdens; others carry low-probability but catastrophic potential.
A key piece of Nepal’s long-anticipated trade infrastructure has stalled dramatically after Beijing informed Kathmandu that it is halting construction of the Rasuwa dry port, a China-funded inland container depot near the Nepal-China border.