Nigeria has been ranked 105th out of 147 countries in the 2025 World Happiness Report, released on Thursday to mark the International Day of Happiness.
The ranking reflects a slight decline from 2024 when Nigeria was placed 102nd. However, despite the drop, the country remains the 10th happiest nation in Africa.
Libya emerged as the highest-ranked African nation, securing the 79th position globally. Despite facing ongoing challenges, it outperformed other African countries in life satisfaction and societal well-being.
On the global scale, Finland retained its position as the world’s happiest country for the eighth consecutive year, followed by other Nordic nations such as Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
The Netherlands, Israel, and Luxembourg also secured places in the top 10.
The United States continued its downward trend, dropping to 24th place after falling out of the top 20 for the first time last year.
The country had previously ranked as high as 11th in 2012. Similarly, the United Kingdom placed 23rd, recording its lowest average life satisfaction since 2017.
Canada, despite its decline in happiness over the past decade, managed to stay within the top 20 at 18th place.
At the lower end of the rankings, Afghanistan remained the world’s least happy country, ranking 147th.
It was followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, all struggling with economic hardship, political instability, and humanitarian crises.
The World Happiness Report, published annually by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in collaboration with Gallup and the Oxford Center for Well-Being Research, examines how happiness varies across different populations.
It considers factors such as income levels, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. This year’s edition focused on the impact of caring and sharing on happiness, highlighting the significant differences in well-being across countries.
