- By Ridam Sharma
- Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:55 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Least Happy Countries In The World: The World is broadly divided into many countries, and not all countries have the same standard of living. Distinctively, some nations live under harsh conditions like war, poor infrastructure and an underdeveloped healthcare and education system. While others thrive on modernisation with better opportunities, facilities and overall upgraded standard of living. The World Happiness Report ranks these countries on the basis of key factors like income, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels. To learn more about the diversification of the world and its people, here’s a list of the top 10 least happy countries in the world, along with contributing factors and India’s ranking on the list, according to the Statista Research Department.
List Of Top 10 Least Happy Countries In The World:
Rank | Country | Happiness Score |
1 | Afghanistan | 1.36 |
Sierra Leone | 3.00 | |
3 | Lebanon | 3.19 |
4 | Malawi | 3.26 |
5 | Zimbabwe | 3.40 |
6 | Botswana | 3.44 |
7 | DR Congo | 3.47 |
8 | Yemen | 3.56 |
9 | Comoros | 3.75 |
10 | Lesotho | 3.76 |
Which Is The UnHappiest Country In The World?
Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been ranked at the bottom of the happiness index for four consecutive years now. All due to violence, crises of humanitarian concern, and scarcity of a proper education system, healthcare, and job opportunities that have significantly affected the lives of its citizens. After the Taliban recaptured power in Afghanistan in 2021, the nation has experienced isolation, economic meltdown, and an extreme predicament of women's rights.
Sierra Leone, West Africa
West African country, Sierra Leone, is at the second-bottom on the list of world happiness ranking, which highlights the nation’s struggles with poverty, high unemployment rates, and the lack of access to basic needs. However, the country is still fighting through the effects of civil war and Ebola outbreaks that happened years ago. Additionally, issues like systemic corruption and poor infrastructure and slow development are adding to the problem..
Lebanon, Middle East
The Middle Eastern country, Lebanon's economic collapse, due to political instability and the devastation of the 2020 Beirut blast, has had a significant effect on the standard of living of the nation. Problems like inflation, job loss, and the collapse of public services like electricity, running water, or a sense of the future made everyday life difficult for the people living here. The result of all this is that now, younger generations are looking to move out for better opportunities, which is making the development of the nation hopeless.
Malawi, East Africa
Eastern African country, Malawi, is also known as the Warm Heart of Africa. However, on the bad note, the country has significantly low rates of happiness, due to its ongoing struggle with poverty, food scarcity, and poor infrastructure. The nation’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture, but climate change makes the situation worse here. The poor quality of education and healthcare is highly contributing to the low happiness rankings.
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Southern African country, Zimbabwe, is also struggling with a low standard of living, which highly impacts its happiness index. The reason for the low standard of living is economic strain, hyperinflation, corruption and political unrest. Political instability, poor healthcare, and widespread unemployment are making the situation worse here. However, the country has no scarcity of natural resources, still Zimbabwe is going through economic starvation, all due to mismanagement, which has resulted in widespread poverty and emigration.
Botswana, Southern Africa
Southern African country, Botswana, is also one of the least happy countries in the world, despite being economically the most flourished among the rest and having a stable democracy. The reason lies behind the nation’s years-long struggle with the disease of HIV/AIDS. Unemployment and inequality are also significant issues here.
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DR Congo, Central Africa
DRC is a Central African country and one of the unhappiest countries in the world. The nation suffers from a humanitarian crisis caused by internal unrest, political instability, and resource exploitation. The absence of basic services, malnutrition, and outbreaks of diseases are also part of the problem.
Yemen, Middle East
Decades of civil war, hunger, and disease have made Yemen's population suffer a lot. With buildings destroyed and citizens living on foreign aid, Yemen is struggling hard to survive. Malnutrition and lack of access to education and healthcare are significantly impacting the whole population.
Comoros
The island country of Comoros is suffering from widespread poverty, unemployment, and political unrest. Few natural resources and a vulnerable economy make it difficult for citizens to access even the basics of their needs, which hugely impacts the happiness of the country.
Lesotho
Lesotho's mountainous landscape makes many communities inaccessible, restricting healthcare and education. High levels of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and youth unemployment are also affecting the nation. Gender violence and substandard living conditions are making the situation worse here.
Also Read: Which Country Is The Largest Producer Of Millets In The World?
India’s Rank On The List Of Least Happy Countries In The World:
India’s happiness ranking is highly influenced by the fact that India is a diverse country, with the largest population in the world. The nation of billions ranks at the bottom, among the least happy countries in the world, with a happiness score of 4.39. The average happiness score of India could be due to the growing mental health concerns, challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing economic pressures. However, the growing nature of the country will hopefully show an upgrade in India’s happiness ranking in the upcoming years.
These rankings of the least happy countries in the world are a firm reminder that while some countries are enjoying rising standards of living, others continue to suffer brutality and extremely low standards of living, with basic needs being a dream for many. It will take continued efforts at development and attention to health, education, and peace to bring significant improvement in the happiness index globally.