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Author: Stavroula Kousta

‘Flourishing — a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good — should be the goal of people and nations everywhere.’ That’s what the principal investigators of the Global Flourishing Study told following publication of the first wave findings of a comprehensive study of human well-being across 22 diverse nations.

What is the Global Flourishing Study?

The Global Flourishing Study (GFS) features survey data from over 200,000 people across the world, collected annually for 5 years, from 2022 to 2027. It measures aspects of flourishing, including factors such as health, happiness, meaning, character, relationships and financial security.

The survey provides valuable insights into how different demographic groups thrive (or not) across countries. Some of the key takeaways from the data, which are available to include:

• Past research had shown a “U-shapedâ€� relationship between well-being and age: younger and older people reported being better off than middle-aged adults. However, according to the GFS, that appears to no longer be the case: across all 22 countries surveyed, measures of flourishing for people aged 18 – 49 are essentially flat before increasing later in life. This suggests that many younger people may be worse off than they were in previous generations. 
• Across countries, patterns of flourishing show both similarities and differences. Indonesians, for instance, reported the highest levels of well-being across a broad range of indicators, while respondents from Japan consistently rated their well-being the lowest. Digging deeper, the data reveals that people in wealthier nations like Sweden and the United States tend to score higher on material aspects of well-being—things like financial security. In many middle-income countries, a different kind of richness emerges. Respondents in these nations rated themselves higher on prosocial behaviors, close personal relationships, and a sense of meaning in life. These findings suggest that social and material aspects of flourishing don’t always go hand-in-hand.
• According to the survey responses analysed by the authors, many countries did not see a substantial difference in flourishing across sexes, although the researchers found that men flourish more than women in Brazil, whereas women flourish more than men in Japan. 

How ÖгöÓ°Ôº is helping to amplify the survey findings

We’re delighted to be the GFS publishing partner, working with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, Gallup and the Center for Open Science to publish an initial  of more than 30 papers related to the GFS findings across several of our journals.

At ÖгöÓ°Ôº we are committed to accelerating solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges. For us, research and learning are the cornerstones of progress, and publishing is an essential link in this process. We sit at the heart of a knowledge network, made up of researchers, clinicians, editors and educators, with whom we work to find, curate and share the latest groundbreaking insights and discoveries. From this position we’re able to amplify some of the most important findings in the GFS to those who can use them to make change. We want the content we publish to make an impact in the real world, which is why we make sure it is shared widely, to provide decision makers with the evidence they need to create effective policy, especially in areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals. 

We will be publishing papers related to the survey across three of our imprints: Nature Portfolio, BMC and Springer. This means over 20 of our journals working in collaboration to launch a that will be continually updated as more findings are released.

This unique combined effort will further extend the reach and visibility of the data and discussion points contained within the survey across multiple audiences and disciplines.  Effective sharing of these findings can help national governments and international leaders understand what populations need to thrive. They will have the information available to better understand the challenges facing our global community and how to overcome them. We’re delighted to play a role in ensuring the survey, its data and the possible outcomes reach the right people and contribute to positive change. 

Further reading

For more information on the Global Flourishing Study and to access the research papers on the findings, visit for the full collection. You can also read the , published by Nature Mental Health.

Header image credit: stellalevi / DigitialVision Vectors / Getty