Study Finds World’s Loneliest Countries, Here’s How the U.S. Fared

The so-called “loneliness epidemic” isn’t “so-called” at all. And it’s a global problem.

As the New York Post reports, a recent study on loneliness conducted by scientists at Emory University found that the world’s loneliness problem is at its worst in the country of Greece and the nearby island of Cyprus, which shared a top loneliness score of 1.7, followed by Slovakia with a 1.5 score. Given Italy’s reputation for hospitality and togetherness, its third place ranking was somewhat surprising. But where did the United States factor in?

Related: Small, Chilly Country Named Happiest in the World for 8th Straight Year

America landed right behind Italy, with a loneliness score of 1.4—which it shared with Israel.

One area where Americans stood out in the study is the median age of its loneliest residents. Typically, one’s feeling of loneliness seems to increase with age, which would make sense given the loss of friends and loved ones. But that’s not the case in the U.S.

“There is a general perception that people get lonelier as they age, but the opposite is actually true in the U.S. where middle-aged people are lonelier than older generations,” said Dr. Robin Richardson, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. Of the 29 countries studied, only one other—the Netherlands—showed a higher rate of loneliness in its middle-aged people.

The main factors that seemed to contribute to this high level of mid-life loneliness in the U.S. were unemployment, being unmarried, depression, and health challenges.

The study, which Emory conducted in conjunction with researchers at Columbia University, Canada’s McGill University, and the Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile, analyzed data collected from nearly 65,000 people across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The results were published in the journal Aging & Mental Health.

As for who’s not lonely? That fortunate distinction goes to Denmark, which is hardly surprising considering how high Nordic countries tend to fare in various studies and surveys about the world’s happiest places.

Here’s the full ranking of Loneliest Countries in the World, from most lonely to least lonely:

1. Greece

2. Cyprus

3. Slovakia

4. Italy

5. United States

6. Israel

7. Lithuania

8. Belgium

9. France

10. Estonia

11. Hungary

12. Croatia

13. Malta

14. Czech Republic

15. Romania

16. Bulgaria

17. Latvia

18. Poland

19. Mexico

20. Finland

21. Luxembourg

22. Slovenia

23. Germany

24. Sweden

25. Spain

26. Netherlands

27. Austria

28. Switzerland

29. Denmark