Nigeria plummets in World Happiness Index, drops 38 spots in six years
The World Happiness Report released by the United Nations has revealed that Nigerians went from being the 78th happiest people on earth to being the 116th in six years.
The 2021 edition of the report, which measures “subjective well-being” – how happy the people are, and why — was released by the UN on Friday, March 19.
Nigerians were ranked the 116th happiest people on earth out of 149 countries surveyed between 2018 and 2020 — a point worse than the previous year.
The figures were better off in 2019 when Nigeria ranked 85th.
NIGERIA’S RANK OVER THE YEARS
2015 – 78th
2017 – 95th
2018 – 91th
2019 – 85th
2020 – 115th
2021 – 116th
Finland, Denmark, and Switzerland were ranked the top three happiest countries, respectively, while Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan are the least three happy countries.
Libya, ranked 80th, is the happiest African country, while Nigeria came a distant 15th on the continent.
“This ninth World Happiness Report is unlike any that have come before. COVID-19 has shaken, taken, and reshaped lives everywhere. In this chapter, our central purpose remains just what it has always been – to measure and use subjective well-being to track and explain the quality of lives all over the globe,” the report read.