FULL LIST: Top 10 least happy countries in Africa in 2026

Malawi (3.284) and Zimbabwe (3.346) follow Sierra Leone, while Botswana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo complete the top five in the African list of lowest-scoring countries.

The rankings are based on people’s self-reported evaluations of their lives between 2023 and 2025. Mauritius recorded Africa’s highest score at 5.939, a 2.688-point difference from Sierra Leone.

The report assesses how people evaluate the quality of their lives, using survey responses collected over three years. Its 2026 rankings are based on average life evaluations recorded between 2023 and 2025, rather than a one-off survey or a measure of how often people feel happy.

The results place Sierra Leone 146th among the 147 countries ranked globally. Malawi follows at 145th, while Zimbabwe is 144th. Afghanistan occupies the bottom position worldwide, with a score of 1.446, meaning Sierra Leone is the lowest-ranked African country in the report but not the least happy country globally.

The 12 African countries with the lowest scores in the supplied list range from Sierra Leone’s 3.251 to Madagascar’s 4.174. At the other end of the continental comparison, Mauritius recorded a score of 5.939, a difference of 2.688 points from Sierra Leone.

The scores are out of 10, not percentages. They reflect people’s own assessments of their lives and should not be interpreted as meaning that everyone in a low-ranking country is unhappy. The report uses six factors, including income, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption—to help explain differences in life evaluations. These factors help explain the results; they are not added together to produce each country’s happiness score.

READ MORE: How the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner is selected: Step-by-step guide

Sierra Leone ranks as Africa’s least happy country in the 2026 report, recording an average life evaluation score of 3.251 out of 10. It places 146th globally, just above Afghanistan.

The score represents the average assessment of life quality among the people surveyed over the report’s three-year measurement period. It is not a measure of national pride, culture or the happiness of every individual living in the West African country.

Sierra Leone’s position highlights the gap between the country’s average life evaluation and those recorded in higher-ranking countries. Its score is 2.688 points below Mauritius, Africa’s highest-scoring country in the report.

Malawi ranks second among the 12 African countries listed, with a score of 3.284 out of 10. Globally, it places 145th.

Its score is only 0.033 points higher than Sierra Leone’s, illustrating how closely the two countries sit in the lower end of the rankings. Such a small difference should not be treated as a dramatic distinction in the lived experiences of their populations.

The World Happiness Report uses life evaluations to capture how people assess their lives overall. Economic circumstances, social support, health and a sense of freedom are among the factors researchers examine when explaining differences between countries, but the score alone does not establish which circumstances determined Malawi’s result.

READ MORE: Jay-Z has reportedly picked himself to headline the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show

Zimbabwe records a score of 3.346, making it the third-lowest-scoring country in the African list and the 144th-ranked country globally.

Its score is 0.062 points above Malawi’s and 0.095 points above Sierra Leone’s. Although Zimbabwe ranks above both countries, all three remain close together at the bottom of the continental comparison.

The result reflects respondents’ evaluations of their lives during the 2023–2025 period. It should not be read as a direct measure of the country’s culture, resilience or the emotional state of every Zimbabwean.

Botswana ranks fourth on the African list, with a life evaluation score of 3.464 out of 10. It occupies 143rd place globally.

The country sits above Zimbabwe, Malawi and Sierra Leone in the 2026 ranking, but its score remains below those of the other African countries further up the list.

The report’s methodology is designed to measure people’s overall judgement of their lives rather than relying on a country’s economic performance or reputation alone. Income is one of the factors associated with life evaluations, alongside social support, health, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

READ MORE: 2020 PRESEC NSMQ champion Benjamin Nketsiah earns top student honour at Michigan State University

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) records a score of 3.761, placing fifth among the 12 countries and 140th globally.

Its score is 0.297 points higher than Botswana’s, marking a more noticeable gap than the differences between the first three countries on the African list.

The ranking does not mean that the experiences of people across DR Congo are uniform. National averages summarise survey responses, while individual circumstances can differ significantly depending on factors such as family support, health, income and personal opportunities.

Egypt ranks sixth among the 12 African countries, with a score of 3.862 out of 10. It is placed 139th in the global rankings.

Its result is 0.101 points higher than DR Congo’s. While Egypt is positioned above the five countries listed before it, it remains among the lowest-scoring countries included in the African comparison.

The World Happiness Report measures how respondents judge their lives as a whole. It does not simply count positive or negative emotions on a particular day, nor does it use the score as a percentage of a population that is happy.

READ MORE: Food, culture, identity: Chef Abbys’ mission to make the world taste Africa

Tanzania records a score of 3.902, ranking seventh in the African list and 138th worldwide.

The country’s score is just 0.040 points above Egypt’s, placing the two close together in the lower portion of the global ranking.

The report’s use of a three-year average helps combine survey responses across time, providing a broader picture than a single poll. However, the score should still be understood as an average assessment of life quality, not a complete account of every social or economic condition in Tanzania.

Eswatini ranks eighth among the 12 African countries, with a score of 3.909. It places 137th globally.

Its score is only 0.007 points above Tanzania’s, the smallest difference between neighbouring entries in this list. The figures therefore show that the two countries have almost identical average life evaluation scores in the 2026 report.

The close scores also illustrate why the report’s rankings should be read alongside the underlying numbers. A country’s position can change even when the difference in average life evaluation is small, and the report provides confidence intervals to indicate uncertainty around estimates.

READ MORE: Shatta Wale says he came to ‘awaken a generation’, not compete with other artistes

Comoros records a score of 3.925, placing ninth in the African list and 136th globally.

The island country’s score is 0.016 points above Eswatini’s and 0.023 points above Tanzania’s. These narrow gaps place all three countries within a closely grouped section of the rankings.

The report does not define happiness solely through wealth or material possessions. Its analysis also considers social support, health, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption as factors associated with how people assess their lives.

Ethiopia ranks tenth among the 12 African countries, recording a score of 3.985 out of 10. Its global position is 135th.

It is the first country in this list to score close to four points, although its result remains below the scores recorded by Zambia and Madagascar, the final two entries.

The score reflects respondents’ evaluations of their lives over the 2023–2025 period. It does not mean that Ethiopian people experience happiness at a particular percentage or that all residents share the same outlook.

MUST READ: ‘It’s a dream of mine to have a Sark-Shatta-Stonebwoy joint concert’ – Sarkodie

Zambia records a score of 4.106, placing 11th on the African list and 133rd in the global ranking.

It is the second-highest-scoring country in this group of 12, behind Madagascar. Its score is 0.121 points higher than Ethiopia’s and 0.068 points below Madagascar’s.

Zambia’s position demonstrates that the bottom 12 African countries are not all clustered around the same score. The list spans nearly one full point, from Sierra Leone’s 3.251 to Madagascar’s 4.174.

Madagascar completes the list with a score of 4.174 out of 10, making it the highest-scoring country among these 12, despite remaining in the lower part of the global ranking.

The country places 132nd globally. Its score is 0.068 points higher than Zambia’s and 0.923 points higher than Sierra Leone’s.

Madagascar’s position at number 12 does not mean it is the 12th least happy country in the world. It is the 12th-lowest-scoring African country in this particular list, based on the countries covered by the 2026 report.

ALSO READ: Apple Music Top 20 Ghana (October 19, 2026)

The World Happiness Report draws on the Gallup World Poll and asks people to evaluate their lives using a ladder scale from zero to 10. Zero represents the worst possible life for them, while 10 represents the best possible life.

For the 2026 edition, the rankings use average responses from 2023 to 2025. The report examines six broad factors to help explain why life evaluations differ between countries:

Income: GDP per capita, which helps indicate average economic resources.

Social support: Whether people feel they have someone to count on in times of need.

Healthy life expectancy: How long people can expect to live in good health.

Freedom: People’s perceived ability to make choices about their lives.

Generosity: A measure associated with helping and giving.

Perceptions of corruption: Views about corruption in government and business.

These factors are used to help explain differences in life evaluations, not to calculate the rankings by adding six separate scores together. The rankings are based on what people say about their lives.

READ MORE; I will in no way mock a disabled person and I had no intention of doing so towards Stonebwoy but I’d still post that funny video again – Sarkodie

Mauritius, with a score of 5.939, is identified as Africa’s happiest country in the supplied 2026 comparison. Sierra Leone’s score of 3.251 is 2.688 points lower on the same 10-point scale.

That difference shows the distance between the two countries’ average life evaluations. It does not, by itself, identify a single reason for the gap or establish that any one policy or social condition explains it.

The report is best understood as a measure of how people assess their lives, supported by research into the circumstances associated with well-being. It offers a comparative snapshot of life evaluations, rather than a definitive verdict on the people or cultures of the countries ranked.