Sierra Leone is ranked among the top 10 unhappiest countries in Africa, according to the World Happiness report for 2022.

The 10th edition of the World Happiness Report, a publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has used statistical analysis to determine the world’s happiest countries. The report ranks 146 countries in their overall happiness and highlights which countries are the happiest or unhappiest.

According to the report, Mauritius is the happiest country in Africa.

Zimbabwe is the most unhappy country in Africa, as it struggles with high poverty levels.

“The World Happiness Report is changing the conversation about progress and wellbeing. It provides important snapshots of how people around the world feel about the overall quality of their lives,” Christopher Barrington-Leigh, professor at McGill University in Quebec and a researcher involved in the report, said in a statement.

With a regional score of 4.5, Africa ranks as the unhappiest region worldwide. Mauritius remains the happiest country in the region, likely because of its relatively high-income levels. In contrast, countries like Sierra Leone remain the most unhappy country in the region, as it struggles with poverty levels. In 2021, approximately 6.1 million people were living below the international poverty line.

Top 10 happiest countries in Africa

Using the Gallup World Poll results, Mauritius was ranked first in Africa: It had an overall score of 6.071 out of 10, which was “significantly ahead” of all other countries. It’s worth noting that Mauritius became a High-Income country in July 2020, but slipped back to its Upper-Middle-Income status in 2021 because of the global pandemic.
Here are the top 10 countries and their score:

Mauritius – 6.071

Libya – 5.330

Ivory Coast – 5.235

South Africa – 5.194

Gambia – 5.164

Algeria – 5.122

Liberia – 5.122

Congo – 5.075

Morocco – 5.060

Mozambique – 5.048

The 10 least happiest countries in Africa

Here are the 10 countries ranked at the bottom along with their score:

The unhappiest country in Africa, according to the rankings, was Zimbabwe, with a score of 2.995.

Zimbabwe – 2.995

Rwanda – 3.268

Botswana – 3.471

Lesotho – 3.512

Sierra Leone – 3.574

Tanzania – 3.502

Malawi – 3.750

Zambia – 3.760

Togo – 4.112

Mauritania – 4.152