The Surprising Global Map of Optimism

Have you ever wondered who the most optimistic people in the world are? A massive new study of over 200,000 people in 22 countries set out to answer that question. Researchers wanted to understand how optimism—the general belief that good things will happen—is spread across the globe and within different groups of people.

Many of the world’s wealthiest countries rank surprisingly low in average optimism.

The findings were full of surprises. Globally, people in Brazil and Indonesia reported the highest levels of optimism, while those in Japan and the United Kingdom reported the lowest. Strikingly, many of the world's wealthiest and most individualistic countries, including the United States, Sweden, and Australia, ranked in the bottom half. This challenges the common assumption that money and personal freedom automatically lead to a brighter outlook.

The study also looked at who is most optimistic within countries. On average, older adults, women, married people, and those with more education and stable jobs tended to be more optimistic. Optimism was also higher, on average, among people who attended religious services regularly, even in very secular countries. One of the most interesting findings was about age. In most Western countries, people grew more optimistic as they got older.

But in several Asian and African nations, the pattern was different, with some showing younger people as more optimistic. This research paints a new, more complex picture of optimism, showing that it’s not just a personal feeling but is deeply shaped by our culture, community, and stage of life.