Maltese people under 30 are the unhappiest in the EU, according to the annual World Happiness Report.

It ranked them 57^th in the world, behind all EU member states as well as nations such as Moldova and El Salvador, which has one of the world's highest murder rates.

The UN-sponsored study asked people from different age groups in 143 countries to grade their happiness on a scale of one to 10, taking a three-year average to calculate a score for each country.

Maltese young people scored 6.45, well below top-placed Lithuania at 7.76.

But Maltese youths are still happier than those in the US, Canada and Japan, and place ahead of most Asian and African countries.

The study finds that Maltese youths are now unhappier than they were several years ago, with their score dropping by almost 0.4 since the 2006-2010 period.

Several other surveys in recent years have pointed to dissatisfaction amongst Maltese youth, with one EY study finding that 60% would rather live elsewhere.

Malta ranks 40^th in the world

On the whole, taking in all age ranges, Malta ranked 40^th in the world for happiness with a score of 6.35, sandwiched in between Panama in 39^th and Italy in 41^st.

Scandinavia dominates the rankings, with Finland taking the top spot for a seventh year in a row followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, all of whom scored over 7.3.

War-torn Afghanistan props up the table with a lowly score of 1.7, with Lebanon, Lesotho and Sierra Leone just above it.

The report finds that in most regions of the world, younger people are happier than their older counterparts, with life satisfaction dropping from childhood through to adolescence and eventually into adulthood.

This is also true in Malta, where older people over the age of 60 scored their happiness at 6.3, slightly less than youths.

The only region where the opposite is true is North America, where life satisfaction among the young has dipped sharply in recent years.

Overall happiness slightly up despite unhappier youths

Nonetheless, while Maltese youth say they are becoming increasingly unhappy, all other age groups appear to be happier than they were 15 years ago.

People aged between 45 and 59 showed the highest increase in happiness, scoring almost 0.8 higher than they did in the 2006 and 2010 period, while those over 60 scored 0.6 higher.

Malta’s overall happiness score increased slightly by almost 0.4 during this period. Malta’s ranking has fluctuated throughout the years, climbing several places in the ranking since 2012, where it ranked 47^th in the world, but dropping again in recent years.

Malta ranks high for generosity and life expectancy, lower for perception of corruption

The study finds that Malta ranks a remarkable third for generosity, meaning the number of people who donate to charity, only trailing Indonesia and Myanmar.

It also scores highly for healthy life expectancy, finding itself in 13^th place.

However, things are a mixed bag when it comes to the perceived level of corruption, with Malta finding itself in 77^th spot.

This means that people in 61 countries believe that there is less corruption in their country compared to the Maltese.