Saddest

Namibians are still some of the saddest across the globe, with the country once again being rated as one of the unhappiest nations in the world.

This is according to the World Happiness Report, published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which analysed the far-ranging effects of Covid-19 and ranked countries by how happy their residents are.

Namibia was ranked 124th out of 146 countries on the index on the likes of gross domestic product, health, life expectancy, perception of corruption, freedom to make choices and generosity.

The report, which is now in its 10th year, is an annual survey asking people to rate their happiness on a 10-point scale.

Namibia scored a total of 4.45 out of 10 in comparison to top ranking country, Finland, with a score of 7.82.

The lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another and honesty in government are crucial for well-being.

Past reports have looked at the links between people's trust in government and institutions with happiness. The findings demonstrate that communities with high levels of trust are happier and more resilient in the face of a wide range of crises.

“This year's report comes in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has upended lives around the world. Covid-19 is the biggest health crisis we've seen in more than a century," John Helliwell, the editor of the report, said.

"Now that we have two years of evidence, we are able to assess not just the importance of benevolence and trust, but to see how they have contributed to well-being during the pandemic."

Nothing’s changed

For the fifth year in a row, Finland took the top spot as the happiest in the world. This year, its score was significantly ahead of other countries in the top 10. Denmark continues to occupy second place, with Iceland in third and Switzerland in fourth, followed by the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The bottom five spots were occupied by Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

In 2021, Namibia received the same ranking and score as this year, out of 149 countries. In 2020, the country was ranked 122nd out of 153 countries, and in 2019, 113th of 156.