By Sallieu S. Kanu
Freetown, Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone has been ranked 146th out of 147 countries in the newly released World Happiness Report 2026, placing the nation second from the bottom globally, just ahead of war-torn Afghanistan.
The report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an international editorial board, assigns Sierra Leone a life evaluation score of 3.25 out of 10. The score is based on Gallup World Poll data collected between 2023 and 2025, measuring how citizens rate their current and expected future lives on the Cantril Ladder scale.
The World Happiness Report, first launched in 2012, has become a leading global benchmark for wellbeing. It evaluates countries using six key factors: income, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Nordic countries consistently dominate the rankings due to strong social safety nets, high institutional trust, and robust personal freedoms. In 2026, Finland retained the top spot for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Iceland, Denmark, and Costa Rica—marking the highest-ever ranking for a Latin American nation.
Why Sierra Leoneans Are Struggling
Sierra Leone’s low ranking reflects persistent structural challenges that weigh heavily on citizens’ daily lives:
- Economic hardship: High unemployment, especially among youth, and limited income opportunities leave many families struggling to meet basic needs.
- Weak social support systems: Access to healthcare, education, and welfare remains inadequate, particularly in rural areas.
- Shorter healthy life expectancy: Poor healthcare infrastructure and preventable diseases reduce quality of life.
- Restricted freedoms: Limited opportunities for upward mobility and constrained personal freedoms dampen optimism.
- Corruption perceptions: Widespread mistrust in institutions erodes confidence in governance and fairness.
- Generosity levels: Lower civic engagement and reduced trust among communities weaken social bonds.
Residents in Freetown and across rural districts often cite unemployment, rising living costs, and poor access to essential services as major sources of dissatisfaction. These realities contribute to the bleak outlook captured in the report.
Sierra Leone’s ranking mirrors broader struggles across sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty and instability continue to hinder wellbeing. Malawi (145th) and Zimbabwe (144th) also occupy the bottom tier. At the other end of the spectrum, countries like Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg, and Switzerland remain among the happiest, underscoring the stark global divide in living conditions and institutional trust.