Nigeria drops further in world happiness ranking

 

Nigeria has been ranked 106th in the 2026 World Happiness Report, reflecting a gradual decline from its 105th position in 2025 and 102nd in 2024.

The report, released on Thursday, assessed the happiness levels of 147 countries as part of activities marking the International Day of Happiness.

PlatinumPost reports that the World Happiness Report is published annually to commemorate the global observance.

The International Day of Happiness, celebrated on March 20, was established by the UN General Assembly on June 28, 2012, to emphasise the importance of happiness in people’s lives worldwide.

In Africa, Mauritius emerged as the 73th happiest country globally, ranking first on the continent. It is followed by Libya, Algeria and Mozambique among the top 10 happiest countries in Africa.

Other African nations in the top 10 include Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, South Africa, Niger and Tunisia, which stands at 105 in the global ranking.

On the global stage, Finland maintained its position as the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year, with Iceland, Denmark and Costa Rica trailing behind.

The global top 10 is largely dominated by Nordic countries, although Costa Rica, a non-European nation, entered the top five for the first time.

The annual report is produced by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Based on data from the Gallup World Poll, the report evaluates how individuals rate their lives on a scale of zero to 10.

The rankings are calculated using three-year averages and take into account factors such as GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.