The World Happiness Report, a publication of Sustainable Development Solutions, says Nigerians are the 95th happiest people worldwide.
The report shows that Nigeria has increased 23 places in the world happiness ranking.
According to the report, released annually to mark the International Day of Happiness, designated by the United Nations and celebrated on 20 March, Nigeria now ranks 95 of the 137 countries surveyed.
The data shows that Nigeria ranks below Guinea, Ukraine, Ivory Coast and Gabon and above Cameroon, Mozambique, Iraq, Palestine and Morocco.
Powered by the Gallup World Poll data, the report shows that for the sixth time in a row, Finland is the country with the happiest people.
Other countries with the happiest minor people in order are Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.
The countries with a minor ranking are Malawi, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
The happiness agenda
The report stated that the way to measure a nation’s happiness is to ask a nationally-representative sample of people how satisfied they are with their lives.
According to the report, a population will only experience high levels of overall life satisfaction if its people are also pro-social, healthy, and prosperous.
“In other words, its people must have high levels of what Aristotle called ‘eudaimonia’. So at the level of society, life satisfaction and eudaimonia go hand-in-hand.
ALSO READ: Norway unseats Denmark as world’s happiest country – Report
“At the individual level, however, they can diverge. As the evidence shows, virtuous behaviour generally raises the happening of the virtuous actor (as well as the beneficiary). But there are substantial numbers of virtuous people, including some carers, who are unsatisfied with their lives,” the report reads.
From happiness to low-ranking
Despite the measured improvement in ranking, it is believed that there is still room for improvement.
Only two decades ago, Nigeria was ranked as the country with the happiest people.
In 2003, the World Values Survey reported that the world’s happiest people lived in Nigeria.
The study carried out over three years was significant because Nigeria’s people’s happiness was to claim the top spot.
This year’s survey stated that the effectiveness of the government has a significant influence on people’s happiness.
In measuring the capacity of a state, the rule of law factors; its fiscal power (ability to raise money), its collective capacity (ability to deliver services), its legal capacity (the rule of law), the avoidance as well as the avoidance of repression.
World Happiness Report
The annual World Happiness Report reviews the state of happiness today and shows how the science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness.
Life evaluations were observed as the basis for the annual happiness rankings. They are based on answers to the main life evaluation question.
Data were observed on six variables; GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.
Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
DonateTEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999
