Global Survey Reveals UK Among Least Happy, While Nigeria, Tanzania Top Mental Health Rankings

In the latest “Mental State of the World” report by Sapien Labs, the UK finds itself in a concerning position as the second most unhappy country, according to the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) scale. With a score of 49 out of -100 to 200, the UK ranks just above Uzbekistan, the country with the lowest score.

The report collected data from over 500,000 respondents across 71 countries, revealing a global decline in mental well-being. Despite mental well-being remaining steady since 2021, the rankings have also shown stability.

Interestingly, Latin American and African countries such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic consistently rank high in mental well-being, while wealthier countries like the UK and Australia find themselves towards the bottom quartile.

The report challenges the common perception that wealth enhances well-being, citing a negative correlation between mental well-being scores and economic metrics such as per capita GDP and the Human Development Index.

One key trend highlighted in the report is the persistent decline in mental well-being, which began between 2019 and 2020 and continued through the COVID-19 pandemic into 2021, showing no signs of recovery.

Notable percentages of distressed individuals vary across countries, with 35% of Britons and South Africans, 34% of Brazilians, 33% of Australians, and 32% of Uzbekistanis reporting distress. In contrast, only 14-17% of Sri Lankans, Italians, Georgians, and Nigerians reported feeling distressed.

The rankings saw minimal changes, with only 5 countries moving up the mental well-being scale by 2% or more, and 4 moving down by 2% or more.

This fourth annual Mental State of the World Report sheds light on the internet-enabled global population’s mental well-being, urging a closer examination of factors influencing mental health across diverse nations.