• Mauritius ranks as the happiest country in Africa in 2026, while Sierra Leone ranks last.
• The World Happiness Report 2026 covers 147 countries globally, including 41 in Africa.
• Finland ranks first globally for the ninth consecutive year.

Mauritius leads Africa in 2026, according to the report published on March 19, 2026 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in collaboration with Gallup World Poll and the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford.

The Indian Ocean island state records a GDP per capita of nearly $12,000 and ranks 73rd globally with a score of 5.939 points. Meanwhile, Libya ranks second in Africa and 81st globally, followed by Algeria (83rd globally), Mozambique (93rd), Gabon (96th), Côte d’Ivoire (98th), Cameroon (100th), South Africa (101st), and Niger (103rd). Tunisia completes the African top 10 at 105th globally.

The annual ranking relies largely on subjective evaluations collected through the Gallup World Poll. Respondents assess their overall life satisfaction, as well as positive and negative emotions. The methodology requires individuals to rate their current life on a scale from 0, representing the worst possible life, to 10, representing the best possible life.

Six variables influence these evaluations: GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. “Each person surveyed provides a numerical response on this scale, called the Cantril ladder. On average, around 1,000 responses are collected each year for each country. Weighting is used to construct national averages representative of the population in each country,” the report’s authors explain.

At the global level, Finland ranks first for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Sweden.

This year, the report highlights for the first time that intensive use of social media harms youth well-being worldwide. However, the report notes that the impact remains “complex” and depends on factors such as time spent on platforms, the type of platform, usage patterns, and demographic characteristics including gender and socio-economic status.

“Intensive use is associated with significantly lower well-being, but those who deliberately stay away from social media also seem to miss out on some positive effects,” says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of economics at the University of Oxford and one of the report’s authors.

This article was initially published in French by Walid Kéfi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum

Ranking of the Happiest Countries in Africa in 2026

1-Mauritius (73rd globally)

2-Libya (81st)

3-Algeria (83rd)

4-Mozambique (93rd)

5-Gabon (96th)

6-Ivory Coast (98th)

7-Cameroon (100th)

8-South Africa (101st)

9-Niger (103rd)

10-Tunisia (105th)

11-Nigeria (106th)

12-Senegal (107th)

13-Namibia (108th)

14-Kenya (110th)

15-Morocco (112th)

16-Guinea (113th)

17-Mali (114th)

18-Ghana (115th)

19-Somalia (117th)

20-Uganda (118th)

21-Mauritania (120th)

22-Republic of the Congo (122nd)

23-Burkina Faso (123rd)

24-Benin (124th)

25-Chad (125th)

26-Lesotho (126th)

27-Gambia (128th)

28-Liberia (130th)

29-Togo (131st)

30-Madagascar (132nd)

31-Zambia (133rd)

32-Ethiopia (135th)

33-Comoros (136th)

34-Eswatini (137th)

35-Tanzania (138th)

36-Egypt (139th)

37-DR Congo (140th)

38-Botswana (143rd)

39-Zimbabwe (144th)

40-Malawi (145th)

41-Sierra Leone (146th)