Ghana’s ranking in the 2025 World Happiness Report has declined, with the country now placed 125th out of 147 nations.
This marks a drop from its 120th position (out of 143 countries) in 2024, reflecting worsening happiness levels among Ghanaians.
The decline raises concerns about economic hardships, governance challenges, and overall social well-being. Ghana now ranks below Burkina Faso (120th), Benin (121st), and Somalia (122nd) but remains ahead of Togo (126th) and Liberia (129th).
Happiest Countries in Africa
On the African continent, Mauritius emerged as the happiest country, ranking 78th globally. It was followed by:
South Africa – 95th
Mozambique – 96th
Gabon – 97th
Côte d’Ivoire – 98th
Congo – 100th
Namibia – 103rd
Cameroon – 104th
Nigeria – 105th
Senegal – 107th
Mauritania – 114th
Ghana’s lower ranking suggests that the country faces increasing socio-economic difficulties affecting the overall quality of life. Addressing these challenges through better governance, economic reforms, and strengthened social support systems could improve the nation’s position in future reports.
How is happiness measured?
The World Happiness Report is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and other institutions. The rankings are based on a three-year average (2022–2024) of survey responses, with key factors including:
GDP per capita
✅ Social support
✅ Healthy life expectancy
✅ Freedom to make life choices
✅ Generosity
✅ Perceptions of corruption
For the eighth consecutive year, Finland has retained its position as the world’s happiest country, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report.
The report, released annually on the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness, ranks nations based on residents’ self-assessed quality of life, using a scale from 0 to 10. This year, Finns rated their lives at an average score of 7.74, maintaining their dominance at the top of the global happiness index.
