This Is the World's Unhappiest Country

Afghanistan displaces Iraq at top of Gallup list
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 11, 2022 4:05 PM CDT
These Are the World's Unhappiest People
A protester in Beirut shouts slogans against judges and banks.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Last year was a tough year for many countries—but in Afghanistan and Lebanon, things were so bad that the countries displaced Iraq at the top of the list of countries with the worst emotional health. Gallup says the two countries topped its "composite measure of people's daily experiences of sadness, stress, worry, anger, and physical pain." With higher scores reflecting higher levels of unhappiness, Afghanistan scored 59 and Lebanon scored 58.

Gallup says that as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year, the proportion of people feeling worried hit 80%, the highest it has ever been recorded in any country, with 74% reporting feeling stressed and 61% feeling sad. In Lebanon—which topped Gallup's list of angriest countries—the economy's meltdown and chronic political instability led to 74% of people feeling stressed. The unhappiest countries and their scores:

  1. Afghanistan, 59.
  2. Lebanon, 58.
  3. Iraq, 51.
  4. Sierra Leone, 50.
  5. Jordan, 48.
  6. Turkey, 46.
  7. Bangladesh, 45.
  8. Ecuador, 45.
  9. Guinea, 45.
  10. Benin, 44.
(These are the happiest countries, according to the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X