UK is officially the world’s second-most miserable country; these were the happiest and unhappiest countries of 2023

A new report reveals a significant impact of the pandemic on global mental wellbeing. The Global Mind Project's "Mental State of the World" report, based on surveys from over 400,000 people in 71 countries, shows a decline in mental health since 2020. In 2019, the nonprofit neuroscience research organization Sapien Labs began releasing its yearly Global Mind Project.

The study uses a Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) to assess various aspects of mental health. Participants are categorized based on their scores, ranging from "thriving" to "distressed."

In the rankings for 2023, the Dominican Republic topped the list with the highest average MHQ (91), followed by Sri Lanka (89) and Tanzania (88). Conversely, Uzbekistan had the lowest average MHQ (48), with the UK following closely at 49.


This indicates a 14.3% disparity between the top and bottom ranked countries on the MHQ scale. Overall, English-speaking South Asia, Russian-speaking Central Asia, and nations in the Core Anglosphere ranked in the bottom third, while Spanish-speaking Latin American nations made up the top half of the rankings.

Here's a breakdown of the top 10 happiest and unhappiest countries:

Happiest:

1. Dominican Republic
2. Sri Lanka
3. Tanzania
4. Panama
5. Malaysia
6. Nigeria
7. Venezuela
8. El Salvador
9. Costa Rica
10. Uruguay

Unhappiest:

1. Uzbekistan
2. UK
3. South Africa
4. Brazil
5. Tajikistan
6. Australia
7. Egypt
8. Ireland
9. Iraq
10. Yemen