The World Happiness Report, a publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, shows that Kenya is a happier country in 2023 after moving up the rankings to position 111 from position 119 in 2022.
With this increase, it has surpassed Uganda (113) to become the happiest nation in Eastern Africa.
The research also shows that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, rankings over the last three years (2020–2022) of the global average life ratings, based on the Gallup World Poll, have remained stable. World goodwill is still 25% more than it was before the outbreak.
Finland is the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. Snuggled next to the Nordic country are European neighbors, who have remained in the top ten since the report’s inception ten years ago.
Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand are the ten happiest countries.
Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, is the happiest African country. It is currently ranked 59th worldwide.
An improved Kenya, on the other hand, ranks 118th in terms of the happiness gap between the top (happier) and bottom (sadder, or less happy) halves of the population. A higher ranking indicates less happiness inequality.
Afghanistan, the Netherlands, and Finland, in that order, have the smallest gaps in happiness between the happier and sadder halves of their populations.
Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia were the five African countries with the largest gaps, in that order.
GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perception of corruption, and dystopia were all factors considered in determining happiness scores.
Kenya’s neighbors Uganda (113), and Tanzania (129) improved their rankings but remained behind the region’s largest economy.
The International Day of Happiness falls on March 20, ironically, the day Kenya and three other African countries took to the streets to protest the government. This holiday was established ten years ago and was approved by the United Nations General Assembly.
Protests in Africa may harm their future rankings as living costs rise and inflation remains high. Dollar shortages, drought, public perception of government waste, and protests over the outcome of last year’s general election in Kenya could erode gains in the rankings.
According to the report, states’ well-being and effectiveness are measured by their fiscal capacity (ability to raise money), collective capacity (ability to deliver services), legal capacity (rule of law), avoidance of civil war, and avoidance of repression.
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