WASHINGTON, D.C. — Studies have long shown the relationship between age and wellbeing as a U-shaped curve, with wellbeing peaking early in adulthood and later in life and dipping in middle age. But recent research suggests that this pattern can vary widely among countries.
For example, the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) examined data from over 207,000 people across 22 countries and Hong Kong (S.A.R. of China). This diverse set of countries shows that the link between age and flourishing doesn’t follow a simple general pattern.
Multiple line charts. Country-level relationship between flourishing and age is shown for 23 countries and territories worldwide. The U-shape pattern typically observed for flourishing and age varies widely across the countries measured.
The primary interest of the GFS is human flourishing, defined as “the relative attainment of a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good, including the contexts in which that person lives” (VanderWeele et al., 2025). This holistic view of wellbeing acknowledges that a well-lived life is more than just health or happiness — it is a rich interplay of multiple life dimensions.
Flourishing is measured by a composite index using two questions in each of five domains: happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. The Flourishing Index is measured on a zero-to-10 scale, where zero is the absence of flourishing and 10 is comprehensive attainment.
The relationship between flourishing and age looks different across the countries studied:
- In Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, flourishing appears to increase with age. The difference between young and old is most striking in the United States, where the average flourishing score is 6.36 for adults aged 18 to 29 and 7.68 among those aged 60 to 69.
- Not all high-income countries surveyed follow this increase-with-age pattern. In Hong Kong (S.A.R. of China) and Japan, the pattern is J-shaped, with younger individuals, on average, flourishing slightly more than their middle‑aged counterparts but less than older ones. In Israel and Poland, the pattern is reversed, with flourishing decreasing, on average, with age.
- Several low- and middle-income countries — Egypt, India, Kenya, the Philippines and Tanzania — also exhibit this decrease-with-age pattern. The difference between young and old is most striking in Tanzania, where the average flourishing score is 7.83 for adults aged 18 to 29 and 7.04 for those aged 60 to 69.
- Indonesia and China exhibit an inverse J-shaped pattern, where middle-aged individuals are, on average, flourishing better than their younger and older counterparts. Finally, no clear association between age and flourishing is evident in Nigeria, South Africa and Türkiye.
Why Does the Pattern Matter?
Across most countries where wellbeing increases with age, another interesting pattern emerges: Two of the 10 survey items that make up the flourishing score — mental health and understanding one’s life purpose — tend to be a substantial drag on youth flourishing. This pattern is evident to varying degrees in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.
Multiple line charts. Country-level relationship between flourishing, mental health and life purpose by age is shown for 23 countries and territories worldwide. The patterns typically observed for flourishing and the other metrics measured by age vary widely across the countries measured.
Implications
These findings underscore why more research focusing on young people is needed to understand whether these findings indicate a new age effect or a cohort effect. If it's an age effect, young people might face tough conditions now but could see their wellbeing improve over time. If it's a cohort effect, young people might experience a decline in wellbeing compared with earlier generations.
More importantly, the outcome is not preordained. These societies and their leaders have agency to formulate policies that ensure the emerging youth flourishing crisis is a temporary “age effect” phenomenon. In line with other research and calls to action, the GFS data suggest that a useful starting point is a robust conversation about youth mental health and life purpose.
Learn more about the Global Flourishing Study.
Explore the data and documentation.
Dive into the dozens of academic articles emerging from this study.
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