Gallup Global Emotions has released its latest report measuring the positive and negative daily experiences people have in a given society. The findings are based on nearly 146,000 interviews with adults in 142 countries and regions.
The analytical firm Gallup Global Emotions measures elements often perceived as low priority to demonstrate the state of a country’s governance. Indeed, it takes into account the intangible details of life, i.e. feelings and emotions, that traditional economic indicators, such as GDP, were never meant to capture; thereby providing leaders with insight into the health of their companies.
According to the Gallup Global Emotions 2024 survey result, more than half of the 10 countries with the most negative experiences in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is noted that the highest place belongs to Guinea, which obtained a grotesque score of 53 for the index in 2023. Faced with uncertainty after a military coup in 2021, the majority of Guineans are in an unbearable emotional state: sad, stressed, worried and in pain. Stress has also reached record levels, increasing by 10 points between 2022 and 2023.
Then in second place comes Chad with a score of 51. We also note the presence of Sierra Leone in 50th place, the Democratic Republic of Congo (49), Liberia (47), Benin and the Comoros (45). each) located further down the list.
Emotional experiences vary considerably across regions. Some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Gambia (down 15 points) and Eswatini (down 11 points), saw double-digit declines in their stress levels. Many of the countries and regions with the highest negative scores in 2023 were experiencing economic and political unrest or military conflict.
On the other hand, in the list of African countries in a positive emotional state, Senegal beats an admirable record with a score of 82, becoming
by this rating the only African country to appear in the list of the top 10 countries. But this is not the first time that the country appears there, since in 2021 it also appeared at the top of the list.
