South Africa
South Africa finds itself in a lowly position after the annual ‘World Happiness Report’ was officially unveiled on Monday. Photo: IStockPhoto, Twitter screenshot & photoshop by SAPeople

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World Happiness Report: Where does South Africa rank?

South Africa finds itself in a lowly position after the annual ‘World Happiness Report’ was officially unveiled on Monday. Ironically, on the day that the annual World Happiness Report was released, South Africa was in the midst of a so-called ‘national shutdown’ instigated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). ALSO READ: National Shutdown LIVE UPDATES Overseen […]

20-03-23 17:16
South Africa
South Africa finds itself in a lowly position after the annual ‘World Happiness Report’ was officially unveiled on Monday. Photo: IStockPhoto, Twitter screenshot & photoshop by SAPeople

South Africa finds itself in a lowly position after the annual ‘World Happiness Report’ was officially unveiled on Monday.

Ironically, on the day that the annual World Happiness Report was released, South Africa was in the midst of a so-called ‘national shutdown’ instigated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

ALSO READ: National Shutdown LIVE UPDATES

Overseen by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the World Happiness report is released every year in honour of the International Day of Happiness on 20 March.

The ranking – which relates this year to 137 countries – is based on data leveraging six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world.

So, where did South Africa rank during a time when load shedding, crime and corruption continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons?

Well, according to this report, South Africa slots in at 85th, well below the likes of South Korea, Kazakhstan and Nicaragua.

The report issues the following summary of its latest findings: “It has been over 10 years since the first World Happiness Report was published. And it is exactly 10 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/281, proclaiming 20 March to be observed annually as International Day of Happiness. Since then, more and more people have come to believe that our success as countries should be judged by the happiness of our people. There is also a growing consensus about how happiness should be measured. This consensus means that national happiness can now become an operational objective for governments.”

You can read the full report here

SOUTH AFRICA SLOTS INTO AN UNFAVOURABLE POSITION, AS SEEN BELOW:

Ranking Country name Ladder score
1 Finland 7.804
2 Denmark 7.586
3 Iceland 7.530
4 Israel 7.473
5 Netherlands 7.403
6 Sweden 7.395
7 Norway 7.315
8 Switzerland 7.240
9 Luxembourg 7.228
10 New Zealand 7.123
11 Austria 7.097
12 Australia 7.095
13 Canada 6.961
14 Ireland 6.911
15 United States 6.894
16 Germany 6.892
17 Belgium 6.859
18 Czechia 6.845
19 United Kingdom 6.796
20 Lithuania 6.763
21 France 6.661
22 Slovenia 6.650
23 Costa Rica 6.609
24 Romania 6.589
25 Singapore 6.587
26 United Arab Emirates 6.571
27 Taiwan Province of China 6.535
28 Uruguay 6.494
29 Slovakia 6.469
30 Saudi Arabia 6.463
31 Estonia 6.455
32 Spain 6.436
33 Italy 6.405
34 Kosovo 6.368
35 Chile 6.334
36 Mexico 6.330
37 Malta 6.300
38 Panama 6.265
39 Poland 6.260
40 Nicaragua 6.259
41 Latvia 6.213
42 Bahrain 6.173
43 Guatemala 6.150
44 Kazakhstan 6.144
45 Serbia 6.144
46 Cyprus 6.130
47 Japan 6.129
48 Croatia 6.125
49 Brazil 6.125
50 El Salvador 6.122
51 Hungary 6.041
52 Argentina 6.024
53 Honduras 6.023
54 Uzbekistan 6.014
55 Malaysia 6.012
56 Portugal 5.968
57 South Korea 5.951
58 Greece 5.931
59 Mauritius 5.902
60 Thailand 5.843
61 Mongolia 5.840
62 Kyrgyzstan 5.825
63 Moldova 5.819
64 China 5.818
65 Vietnam 5.763
66 Paraguay 5.738
67 Montenegro 5.722
68 Jamaica 5.703
69 Bolivia 5.684
70 Russia 5.661
71 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.633
72 Colombia 5.630
73 Dominican Republic 5.569
74 Ecuador 5.559
75 Peru 5.526
76 Philippines 5.523
77 Bulgaria 5.466
78 Nepal 5.360
79 Armenia 5.342
80 Tajikistan 5.330
81 Algeria 5.329
82 Hong Kong S.A.R. of China 5.308
83 Albania 5.277
84 Indonesia 5.277
85 South Africa 5.275
86 Congo (Brazzaville) 5.267
87 North Macedonia 5.254
88 Venezuela 5.211
89 Laos 5.111
90 Georgia 5.109
91 Guinea 5.072
92 Ukraine 5.071
93 Ivory Coast 5.053
94 Gabon 5.035
95 Nigeria 4.981
96 Cameroon 4.973
97 Mozambique 4.954
98 Iraq 4.941
99 State of Palestine 4.908
100 Morocco 4.903
101 Iran 4.876
102 Senegal 4.855
103 Mauritania 4.724
104 Burkina Faso 4.638
105 Namibia 4.631
106 Turkiye 4.614
107 Ghana 4.605
108 Pakistan 4.555
109 Niger 4.501
110 Tunisia 4.497
111 Kenya 4.487
112 Sri Lanka 4.442
113 Uganda 4.432
114 Chad 4.397
115 Cambodia 4.393
116 Benin 4.374
117 Myanmar 4.372
118 Bangladesh 4.282
119 Gambia 4.279
120 Mali 4.198
121 Egypt 4.170
122 Togo 4.137
123 Jordan 4.120
124 Ethiopia 4.091
125 Liberia 4.042
126 India 4.036
127 Madagascar 4.019
128 Zambia 3.982
129 Tanzania 3.694
130 Comoros 3.545
131 Malawi 3.495
132 Botswana 3.435
133 Congo (Kinshasa) 3.207
134 Zimbabwe 3.204
135 Sierra Leone 3.138
136 Lebanon 2.392
137 Afghanistan 1.859