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The latest World Happiness Report has been released, and Nordic countries are topping the happiness charts again. Finland remains steadfast as the happiest nation for the seventh successive year, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden closely trailing behind. In Africa, Libya leads with a happiness score of 5.866.
In addition to happiness rankings, the report incorporates a country’s GDP, life expectancy, and perceptions of freedom and corruption to provide insights into the unique needs of individual nations.
The survey asks each participant to score their life as a whole, considering what they value, said John Helliwell, emeritus professor of economics at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report.
Compare: The happiest countries in Africa in 2023
“And you find out Finland’s pretty rich in all of those things, like wallets being returned if they’re dropped in the street, people helping each other day in and day out, very high quality and universally distributed health and education opportunities — so everyone more or less comes out of the starting gate the same,” he said.
This year’s report introduces age-specific rankings, uncovering concerning trends in life satisfaction among young people in certain regions.
According to the report, Global happiness inequality has risen by over 20% in the past twelve years across all regions and age demographics, with significant variations observed based on age and geographical location.
In many but not all regions, the young are happier than the old. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there has been a notable increase in happiness inequality, particularly among the elderly.
In 2021-2023 negative emotions were in every region more prevalent for females than males, with almost everywhere the gender gap being larger at higher ages.
Read also: 10 happiest countries in Africa based on mental wellbeing
The report identifies the top 10 happiest countries on the continent, with Libya leading the list with a happiness score of 5.866. Following closely is Mauritius, with a score of 5.816, and South Africa securing the third position with a score of 5.422.
The report draws on global survey data from people in more than 140 countries. Countries are ranked on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the three preceding years (2021 to 2023).
The report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an editorial board.
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