The happiest countries in the world 2026
Lesson plan overview
This ESL lesson worksheet guides students through the topic of global happiness and well-being, using the latest World Happiness Report data from 2026. Students explore the key factors that contribute to national happiness, expand their vocabulary related to social policy and well-being, and practice comparatives and superlatives—including nuanced expressions like much / a lot / a little / slightly to describe the size of differences. It will work well in combination with the following worksheets: “Can money buy happiness?“, “What’s your ikigai?“, “Emerging markets“, “Overpopulation“, “Where are Europe’s innovative companies?“, “Phrasal verbs: happiness and well-being”, and “Idioms: positivity, optimism and hope”.
Speaking: The lesson starts with 6 discussion questions about happiness and well-being.
Speaking and reading: Students brainstorm different factors that influence happiness and then read a text about The World Happiness Report and the factors taken into consideration to create the ranking. After that students discuss which 10 countries they think would be at the top and the bottom of the list and why.
Vocabulary: Students complete common expressions and economic terms used when talking about life satisfaction (life expectancy, community engagement, safety net, purchasing power, welfare programs, parental leave, universal healthcare). Then they use the expressions to complete 8 questions and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.
Listening: Students watch a video called “Happiness across the globe | World Happiness Report 2026“, completing comprehension activities and identifying key information about regional trends, falling happiness among youth, the impact of conflict, and the report’s final message. Then, they engage in a post-listening discussion.
Grammar: Students review comparatives and superlatives, then practice using much / a lot / a little / slightly to express the strength of differences between countries, policies, and personal experiences.
Speaking: Studens used the vocabulary and grammar structures from this lesson to compare 3 countries.
For more speaking practice, you can use the printable conversation cards.
Unlock these resources with one of our subscription plans
Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
Pre-class activities
All video-based ESL lesson plans include online pre-class activities, which are FREE and can be completed without registration. Perfect for teachers who wish to embrace the blended learning approach. By providing students with resources and engagement opportunities before the actual class session, educators can foster active participation, enhance comprehension, and optimise in-class discussions.
The pre-class activities are optional: if you choose not to assign them, or your students don’t complete them, it will not disturb the flow of the class. You can find and review the pre-class activities for this lesson plan here:
To send the pre-class activities to your students, copy the link below.
In-class activities
To download the PDF files for this lesson, you need to have an active Premium or Premium + subscription.
Browse FREE lesson plans here.
Additional resources
Each video-based lesson plan includes links to additional resources (videos and articles), which are FREE can be found online (in the pre-class activities page. These links aim to extend the learning experience, enabling students to connect classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
Unlock these resources with one of our subscription plans
Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
Not sure yet?
Try one of our FREE lessons plans
Share this lesson plan with someone who will find it useful