The 10 unhappiest countries in the world have been revealed – with the UK failing to place in the top 10.
Afghanistan has been named as the unhappiest country, according to the World Happiness Report that was released today.
The landlocked country has been named the unhappiest country since 2012, with Finland named the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year.
The statistics come from the Gallup World Poll, with experts using responses from people in more than 140 countries to rank the world’s happiest nation.
And it’s not the best news for Britain, with the UK placing 20th on the list – falling behind Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
1. Afghanistan
2. Lebanon
3. Lesotho
4. Sierra Leone
5. Congo (Kinshasa)
6. Zimbabwe
7. Botswana
8. Malawi
9. Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland)
10. Zambia
Prof John F. Helliwell, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, and a founding Editor of the World Happiness Report, said: “The broad country coverage and annual surveys of the Gallup World Poll provide an unmatched source of data about the quality of lives all over the globe.
“There are now enough years of data, going back to 2006, to enable us this year to plausibly separate age and generational patterns for happiness.
“We found some pretty striking results. There is a great variety among countries in the relative happiness of the younger, older, and in-between populations. Hence the global happiness rankings are quite different for the young and the old, to an extent that has changed a lot over the last dozen years.”
The report has caused concern for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 living in the UK, with some being unable to cope with the lack of education, skills, training and affordable housing.
The report found they are feeling exhausted and burned out.
The Intergenerational Foundation charity said in response to the report: “Young adults are being hit from all sides by a toxic combination of government policy, a housing affordability crisis, stagnating wages, and a high cost of living. No wonder their generation is experiencing unprecedented levels of mental ill-health as their futures look so bleak.”
