Countries With the Lowest Self-reported Happiness
Every country with a figure for self-reported happiness, ranked from lowest to highest. The top three are Zimbabwe (51.9%), Zambia (52%) and Moldova (58.9%). The middle country of the 110 has 86.8%.
What this measures
Share saying they are very happy or rather happy, in % of respondents. Source: World Values Survey Association and European Values Study. For this measure, higher is better.
A different question from the World Happiness Report's "ladder" question, and it ranks countries differently. The ladder asks people to rate their life from 0 to 10, where 10 is the best possible life. Answers to that lean heavily on material conditions, such as money and housing. This question asks directly whether people feel happy. Comparing the two is one of the more revealing pairs on the site. The survey runs in waves, not every year.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2010–2022. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Self-reported happiness | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 51.9% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | Zambia | 52% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Moldova | 58.9% | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 60.2% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 5 | Iraq | 69.2% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 6 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 69.6% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 7 | Greece | 71.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 8 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 71.7% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 9 | Yemen, Rep. | 72.1% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 10 | Nigeria | 72.4% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 11 | Bolivia | 73% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 12 | Mongolia | 73.3% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 13 | Lithuania | 73.7% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 14 | Albania | 73.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 15 | West Bank and Gaza | 74.4% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 16 | Algeria | 75.5% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 17 | Ukraine | 76.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 18 | South Africa | 76.4% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 19 | Tunisia | 76.6% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 20 | Romania | 77.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 21 | Latvia | 78.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 22 | Georgia | 78.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 23 | Slovak Republic | 78.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 24 | Venezuela, RB | 79% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 25 | Russian Federation | 79.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 26 | Burkina Faso | 79.7% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 27 | Serbia | 79.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 28 | Azerbaijan | 79.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 29 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 80.6% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 30 | Peru | 80.8% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 31 | Ghana | 80.8% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 32 | Hungary | 81.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 33 | Croatia | 81.6% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 34 | Cyprus | 81.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 35 | Italy | 82.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 36 | Mali | 82.6% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 37 | Chile | 82.6% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 38 | Morocco | 82.8% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 39 | Kenya | 83% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 40 | Haiti | 83.5% | 2014 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 41 | Slovenia | 83.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 42 | Thailand | 83.8% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 43 | India | 84% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 44 | Estonia | 84.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 45 | Kazakhstan | 84.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 46 | Canada | 84.9% | 2022 | North America |
| 47 | Turkiye | 85% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 48 | Armenia | 85.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 49 | Nicaragua | 85.6% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 50 | Malaysia | 85.6% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 51 | Argentina | 85.7% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 52 | Lebanon | 86.1% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 53 | Czechia | 86.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 54 | Germany | 86.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 55 | Jordan | 86.5% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 56 | North Macedonia | 86.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 57 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 87% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 58 | Kosovo | 87.2% | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 59 | Ethiopia | 87.5% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 60 | Myanmar | 87.6% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 61 | Portugal | 87.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 62 | Maldives | 87.9% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 63 | Trinidad and Tobago | 88% | 2014 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 64 | Ecuador | 88.1% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 65 | United States | 88.2% | 2022 | North America |
| 66 | Japan | 88.3% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 67 | Belarus | 88.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 68 | Spain | 88.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 69 | Finland | 88.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 70 | China | 88.9% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 71 | Singapore | 89% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 72 | Austria | 89.1% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 73 | Korea, Rep. | 89.1% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 74 | Brazil | 89.2% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 75 | Pakistan | 89.2% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 76 | Malta | 89.4% | 2010 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 77 | Colombia | 89.4% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 78 | Australia | 89.6% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 79 | Denmark | 90.1% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 80 | Rwanda | 90.4% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 81 | Puerto Rico (US) | 90.5% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 82 | Netherlands | 90.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 83 | Bangladesh | 90.7% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 84 | Taiwan | 90.7% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 85 | Guatemala | 90.7% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 86 | Uruguay | 90.8% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 87 | France | 90.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 88 | Poland | 91% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 89 | Macao SAR, China | 91% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 90 | Philippines | 91.4% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 91 | United Kingdom | 91.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 92 | Montenegro | 91.5% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 93 | Kuwait | 91.6% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 94 | Libya | 91.6% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 95 | Mexico | 92% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 96 | New Zealand | 92.9% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 97 | Switzerland | 93.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 98 | Luxembourg | 93.6% | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 99 | Sweden | 93.8% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 100 | Indonesia | 93.8% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 101 | Norway | 94.1% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 102 | Uzbekistan | 94.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 103 | Belgium | 94.3% | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 104 | Tajikistan | 94.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 105 | Ireland | 94.9% | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 106 | Andorra | 95% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 107 | Iceland | 95.1% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 108 | Kyrgyz Republic | 95.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 109 | Viet Nam | 97.3% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 110 | Qatar | 98% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
More on self-reported happiness
- Countries With the Highest Self-reported Happiness
- Self-reported happiness by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Lowest Interpersonal Trust
- Countries With the Lowest Life Satisfaction
- Countries With the Lowest Wellbeing Scores
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.