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The World Happiness Report has been published annually since 2012. It provides information on well-being around the world. The publication is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Center for Wellbeing Research at the University of Oxford (UK) and Gallup, an American consultancy and of surveys.
The country ranking is based on a multidimensional assessment of happiness. The approach combines economic, social data and individual perceptions.
To arrive at its conclusions, the report takes into account these 6 factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. Compiled using data from more than 140 countries, this year's World Happiness Report shows the happiest African countries.
Around forty African countries are assessed to determine those at the peak and trough of happiness.
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The five highest ranked African countries
In the latest World Happiness Report, happiness in Africa makes its way through the global rankings. African countries only appear after about 60 nations from other regions of the globe, according to the table entitled “Country Rankings by Life Evaluations in 2021-2023”. 2021-2023).
Libya stands out as the African country where residents display the greatest sense of happiness. She is ranked 66th in the world. Following him, Mauritius clings to 70th place, while South Africa follows closely at 83rd position globally.
Continuing in the rankings, Algeria takes fourth place among African nations and 85th in the world, while the Republic of Congo rises to 89th place globally.
Libya stands out as the happiest country on the continent, despite the challenges of political instability and conflict, which often lead to oil blockages and greater humanitarian needs.
This North African country is well endowed with hydrocarbon resources. It holds 3% of the world's proven crude oil reserves at the end of 2021, making it the African nation best endowed with crude oil. In 2021, Libya ranked third among crude oil producers on the continent, after Nigeria and Algeria, according to the African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2023.
Although Libya is the hotbed of happiness for the continent's youth, with its ranking in the world report, people aged over 60 seem to find their happiness in Mauritius. Of particular note in this report is the first provision of separate rankings based on age groups, to address happiness in different segments of populations.
Least happy African countries
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For African countries at the bottom of the ranking, they face economic, political or social constraints that hinder their overall well-being.
At the bottom of the rankings is Lesotho, ranking 141st out of the 143 countries listed in the report. This country, in contrast to South Africa, remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Fragile governance, high poverty and unemployment and high crime generally characterize this southern African country.
This is followed by Botswana, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Sierra Leone, all facing some of the highest levels of poverty on the continent.
Lesotho, with a predominantly mountainous territory, is completely surrounded by South Africa. It suffers from structural handicaps such as a low standard of living. Lesotho is part of the LDCs, less developed countries which, according to the UN, have a GDP of less than 745 US dollars per person.
Infant mortality, nutrition and even the school enrollment rate are also realities that affect the daily lives of its populations. In 2018, the Human Development Index (HDI) ranked Lesotho 164th out of 189 countries.
Increased political uncertainty means domestic growth prospects remain gloomy. This impacts the country's public finances, with a wage bill estimated at 24% of GDP and payment arrears of USD 76 million according to the African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2023.
This difficult socio-economic situation can impact the happiness of Lesothans. Thus, with the lowest scores, it is with Botswana, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Sierra Leone, at the bottom of the world and African rankings in terms of happiness.
Non-exhaustive data
The annual World Happiness Report rankings are based largely on participants' subjective assessments of their happiness. The authors point out that countries are ranked based on their residents' self-evaluations of life. “Countries are ranked according to their self-evaluations of life,” specify the authors.
When it comes to the African continent, only 40 countries are included in these surveys. Participants are asked to rate their life on a scale from 0 (horrible) to 10 (perfect). They also shared their experiences related to “positive emotions” such as laughter, pleasure and interest, as well as “negative emotions” such as worry, sadness and anger.
This data, although subjective, provides insight into individual and collective well-being in each country.
