10 happiest countries in Africa based on mental wellbeing

• Business Insider Africa presents 10 happiest countries in Africa.
• The list is courtesy of Global Mind Project.
• Tanzania boasts the highest score at 88, with Nigeria and Zimbabwe closely following at 83 and 74 on the MHQ, respectively.

The Global Mind Project’s fourth annual ‘Mental State of the World’ report (conducted by Sapien Labs) suggests a global decrease in mental well-being since the onset of the pandemic.

The report compiles responses from over 500,000 individuals gathered throughout the year across 71 countries, covering 9 geographic regions including Africa.

The report employs six-dimensional scores, including mood & outlook, social self, drive & motivation, adaptability & resilience, cognition, and mind-body connection. These scores are also computed using subsets of the 47 assessed items to provide a more granular view.

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Key finding

According to the report, as mental wellbeing has remained largely static across the world since 2021, so too have the rankings of countries. At the top of the rankings are many Latin American and African countries while much of the core Anglosphere ranks in the bottom quartile.

This runs counter to the common perception that wealth enhances wellbeing.

"In our annual report for 2021 we showed that the average mental wellbeing scores of the Internet-enabled populations of countries were strongly and significantly negatively correlated with economic metrics such as per capita GDP and even the Human Development Index," the report read.

Per the report, the UK recorded a relatively low score of 49 on the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), whereas over 10 African countries achieved scores surpassing 60 on the MHQ.

According to Sapien Labs, this is because internet-enabled populations in wealthy countries are also likely to have youth on smartphones, ultra-processed food and weak social ties; three factors that have been linked to poor mental health.

Tanzania boasts the highest score at 88, with Nigeria and Zimbabwe closely following at 83 and 74 on the MHQ, respectively.

Below are 10 happiest countries in Africa based on mental wellbeing: