Mauritius shines as a beacon of happiness, securing its position among the top 10 happiest countries in Africa, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s World Happiness Report.
This remarkable achievement reflects the nation’s commitment to fostering a joyful, sustainable, and harmonious living environment for its citizens.
Noteworthy, the World Happiness Report gave valuable insights into what makes a country an ideal place to reside. The report utilizes statistical analysis to evaluate economic, social, and environmental factors.
Remarkably, the benevolence rate soared to 25%, maintaining its growth for three consecutive years since 2020 – even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. John Helliwell, in a CNN interview, noted that “benevolence to others, especially helping strangers, increased dramatically in 2021 and remained high in 2022.”
In addition, among the ten African states, Mauritius claimed the top spot with a happiness score of 5.9 (ranking 59th worldwide), followed by Algeria (5.3), South Africa (5.27), and the Congo Republic (5.26). Guinea (5.07), Ivory Coast (5.05), Gabon (5.03), Nigeria (4.98), Cameroon (4.97), and Mozambique (4.95) completed the list.
Kenya, with a happiness score of 4.48, ranked 18th in Africa and 111th globally, after experiencing a hotly contested General Election in August. Tanzania, the second most peaceful African state in 2022, secured the 29th position in Africa with a 3.69 score.
Furthermore, Finland dominated the rankings, followed by Denmark and Iceland. The report was unveiled on Monday, March 20, to commemorate this year’s World Happiness Day. The 2023 International Day of Happiness theme was “Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind.”
According to the UN website, “Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.”