National Concern As Nigeria Drastically Drops To 106th In World Happiness Ranking

Nigeria has been ranked 106th in the 2026 World Happiness Report, continuing a steady decline from 105th in 2025 and 102nd in 2024.

The report, released on Thursday to mark the International Day of Happiness, evaluated 147 countries based on how citizens rate their own lives. Celebrated every March 20, the day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 to highlight the importance of happiness and well-being globally.

In Africa, Mauritius emerged as the happiest country, ranking 73rd worldwide. Libya, Algeria and Mozambique followed among the continent’s top performers. Other African countries in the top 10 include Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, South Africa, Niger and Tunisia, which ranked 105th globally just ahead of Nigeria.

Globally, Finland retained its position as the happiest country for the ninth consecutive year. Iceland, Denmark and Costa Rica followed closely, with Nordic countries continuing to dominate the rankings. Costa Rica also stood out as the only non-European country in the top five.

The report is produced by the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. It draws on data from the Gallup World Poll, where individuals rate their lives on a scale from zero to 10.

Rankings are based on three-year averages and consider factors such as GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, personal freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.See more, details. .