Demographics
The Countries That Have Become Sadder Since 2010
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
The Countries That Have Become Sadder Since 2010
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Can happiness be quantified?
Some approaches that try to answer this question make a distinction between two differing components of happiness: a daily experience part, and a more general life evaluation (which includes how people think about their life as a whole).
The World Happiness Report—first launched in 2012—has been making a serious go at quantifying happiness, by examining Gallup poll data that asks respondents in nearly every country to evaluate their life on a 0–10 scale. From this they extrapolate a single “happiness score” out of 10 to compare how happy (or unhappy) countries are.
More than a decade later, the 2024 World Happiness Report continues the mission. Its latest findings also include how some countries have become sadder in the intervening years.
Which Countries Have Become Unhappier Since 2010?
Afghanistan is the unhappiest country in the world right now, and is also 60% unhappier than over a decade ago, indicating how much life has worsened since 2010.
In 2021, the Taliban officially returned to power in Afghanistan, after nearly two decades of American occupation in the country. The Islamic fundamentalist group has made life harder, especially for women, who are restricted from pursuing higher education, travel, and work.
On a broader scale, the Afghan economy has suffered post-Taliban takeover, with various consequent effects: mass unemployment, a drop in income, malnutrition, and a crumbling healthcare system.
Rank | Country | Happiness Score Loss (2010–24) | 2024 Happiness Score (out of 10) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | -2.6 | 1.7 |
2 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | -2.3 | 2.7 |
3 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | -1.5 | 4.2 |
4 | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | -1.3 | 5.6 |
5 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | -1.2 | 3.4 |
6 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | -1.2 | 3.5 |
7 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | -1.2 | 3.4 |
8 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | -1.0 | 3.6 |
9 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | -1.0 | 4.0 |
10 | 🇮🇳 India | -0.9 | 4.1 |
11 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | -0.9 | 3.9 |
12 | 🇨🇩 DRC | -0.7 | 3.3 |
13 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | -0.7 | 4.4 |
14 | 🇨🇦 Canada | -0.6 | 6.9 |
15 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | -0.6 | 6.7 |
16 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | -0.5 | 5.7 |
17 | 🇵🇦 Panama | -0.5 | 6.4 |
18 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | -0.5 | 4.7 |
19 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | -0.5 | 3.3 |
20 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | -0.5 | 6.8 |
N/A | 🌍 World | +0.1 | 5.5 |
Nine countries in total saw their happiness score drop by a full point or more, on the 0–10 scale.
Noticeably, many of them have seen years of social and economic upheaval. Lebanon, for example, has been grappling with decades of corruption, and a severe liquidity crisis since 2019 that has resulted in a banking system collapse, sending poverty levels skyrocketing.
In Jordan, unprecedented population growth—from refugees leaving Iraq and Syria—has aggravated unemployment rates. A somewhat abrupt change in the line of succession has also raised concerns about political stability in the country.
Demographics
Countries With the Largest Happiness Gains Since 2010
Tracking Gallup survey data for more than a decade reveals insights into the regions seeing happiness gains.
Countries With the Largest Happiness Gains Since 2010
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
In 2011, Bhutan sponsored a UN resolution that invited governments to prioritize happiness and well-being as a way to measure social and economic development.
And thus, the World Happiness Report was born.
In 2012, the first report released, examining Gallup poll data from 2006–2010 that asked respondents in nearly every country to evaluate their life on a 0–10 scale. From this they extrapolated a single “happiness score” out of 10 to compare how happy countries are.
More than a decade later, the 2024 World Happiness Report continues the mission to quantify, measure, and compare well-being. Its latest findings also include how countries have become happier in the intervening years.
We visualize these findings in the above chart, which shows the 20 countries that have seen their happiness scores grow the most since 2010.
Which Countries Have Become Happier Since 2010?
Serbia leads a list of 12 Eastern European nations whose average happiness score has improved more than 20% in the last decade.
In the same time period, the Serbian economy has doubled to $80 billion, and its per capita GDP has nearly doubled to $9,538 in current dollar terms.
Rank | Country | Happiness Score Gains (2010–2024) | 2024 Happiness Score (out of 10) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | +1.8 | 6.4 |
2 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | +1.6 | 5.5 |
3 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | +1.5 | 6.2 |
4 | 🇨🇬 Congo | +1.4 | 5.2 |
5 | 🇷🇴 Romania | +1.3 | 6.5 |
6 | 🇨🇳 China | +1.3 | 6.0 |
7 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | +1.3 | 5.2 |
8 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | +1.2 | 6.8 |
9 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | +1.2 | 6.0 |
10 | 🇹🇬 Togo | +1.2 | 4.2 |
11 | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | +1.2 | 6.3 |
12 | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | +1.1 | 6.6 |
13 | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | +1.1 | 5.7 |
14 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | +1.1 | 6.4 |
15 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | +1.1 | 6.0 |
16 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | +1.0 | 5.9 |
17 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | +1.0 | 5.4 |
18 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | +1.0 | 5.5 |
19 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | +1.0 | 6.2 |
20 | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | +1.0 | 5.7 |
N/A | 🌍 World | +0.1 | 5.5 |
Since the first report, Western Europe has on average been happier than Eastern Europe. But as seen with these happiness gains, Eastern Europe is now seeing their happiness levels converge closer to their Western counterparts. In fact, when looking at those under the age of 30, the most recent happiness scores are nearly the same across the continent.
All in all, 20 countries have increased their happiness score by a full point or more since 2010, on the 0–10 scale.
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