International Day of Happiness: The world’s happiest and saddest countries revealed

Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness on March 20 to highlight the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

According to the UN, a country’s success must be judged by how happy its people are.

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The past year has been marked by global crises, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, violence against Palestinians, worldwide inflation, horrific natural disasters, and a range of climate emergencies.

With all that has ensued, what countries are the happiest? And what countries are the most unhappy?

Here are the top 10 happiest countries according to the World Happiness Report, powered by the Gallup World Poll data:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Israel

5. Netherlands

6. Sweden

7. Norway

8. Switzerland

9. Luxembourg

10. New Zealand

The report looks at six key factors to analyze self-reported levels of happiness across the world: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption. Governments are increasingly using this analysis to orient policies towards happiness, according to the researchers.

Which are the most miserable?

The report also determined which countries are the most unhappy around the world. War-torn Afghanistan and crisis-hit Lebanon remain the two unhappiest countries in the world, according to the survey.

The survey showed that almost everyone in the two countries is unhappy.

Here are the top 10 unhappiest countries, ranked by most unhappy to least unhappy:

1. Afghanistan

2. Lebanon

3. Sierra Leone

4. Zimbabwe

5. Democratic Republic of Congo

6. Botswana

7. Malawi

8. Comoros

9. Tanzania

10. Zambia

The happiest Arab countries

The UAE is the happiest Arab country in the world, ranking in at 26. This comes as no surprise since the country has made it a part of its national mission to become the happiest nation in the world.

Saudi Arabia ranks at number 30 in the world. In recent years, the Kingdom has placed enhancing the quality of life in the country at the forefront of its reforms. Under its Vision 2030 plan – put forth by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – Saudi Arabia has been on transformative journey, whether its by providing better job opportunities or a range of recreational activities for all to enjoy.

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