Egypt ranks as one of unhappiest countries in the world, says poll

Egypt is one of the saddest countries in the world, according to a Gallup poll released on Friday for the third annual International Day of Happiness.

Out of the 143 countries surveyed for levels of happiness and positive emotions, Egypt fell toward the bottom of the list at 123.

The poll showed that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are among the lowest in the world when it comes to expressing positive emotions, with an average score of 59. Egypt scored 58 in that list, which was topped by Paraguay and many other Latin American countries that scored 89.

With the exception of Saudi Arabia, all MENA countries scored far below the global mean for happiness. However, the report noted that the data for many Gulf countries had not yet been finalized.

Some of the other saddest countries in the world included Sudan (47), Tunisia (52), Turkey (54) and Afghanistan (55).

“People in the MENA region not only report the lowest positive emotions in the world — they are also reporting the highest negative emotions in the world. In fact, last year, the MENA region represented four of the top five countries in the world for negative emotions — including Iran, which was, interestingly enough, in the news for jailing four young people for making a video about happiness,” the report said.

The questions Gallup asked in the poll included: “Did you feel well-rested yesterday? Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?"

The Gallup Positive Experience Index is intended to measure certain qualities of life that other benchmarks, like gross domestic product (GDP), can't quantify, the report explains.

“In addition to quantifying things such as respect, laughing and smiling a lot, and learning or doing something interesting, some of the key drivers of positive emotions are things such as freedom, social capital and charitable giving — all things that make a life worth living,” the report concluded.