Despite being blessed with stunning natural wonders, beautiful beaches and exciting events, turns out Aussies are a pretty unhappy lot. New data from the Global Mind Project’s annual “Mental State of the World” report has revealed Australia is the 6th unhappiest country in the world. The report revealed a decline in mental well-being since the Covid-19 pandemic with several well-to-do countries, including Australia, still feeling the brunt. Based on surveys from over 500,000 people in 71 countries, the report examined six main categories: mood and outlook, social self, drive and motivation, mind-body connection, cognition and adaptability and resilience. The study noted that British people are the unhappiest in the world, second only to Uzbekistan.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Dominican Republic topped the list of happiest countries in the world with Sri Lanka and Tanzania rounding out the top 3.
The key findings in the report state that mental well-being remained at its post-pandemic low showing no signs of movement towards pre-pandemic levels further stating that people aged 35 and under experienced the steepest decline in mental health during the pandemic while those over 65 stayed steady. The impacts of ultra-processed foods on mental health were also reported with such foods constituting about 60-70% of diets in the UK and the US.
The 10 happiest countries in the world
- Dominican Republic
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Panama
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Venezuela
- El Salvador
- Costa Rica
- Uruguay
The 10 unhappiest countries in the world
- Uzbekistan
- UK
- South Africa
- Brazil
- Tajikistan
- Australia
- Egypt
- Ireland
- Iraq
- Yemen
Find the full survey here.
Despite the worrying report, it’s not all doom and gloom for Australia. The land down under was voted among the top 5 best countries in the world in 2023 with Melbourne and Sydney regularly cited among the most liveable cities worldwide.