25 Miserable Countries in the World
25. Rwanda
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 10.6A difficult past marred by civil wars and extreme poverty makes the country's Hanke's misery index high enough to push it amongst the miserable countries in the world.
24. Tanzania
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 11.6Although Tanzania is a peaceful country in Africa and is popular for its tourism, the people of Tanzania are among the miserable people in the world. The country’s people struggle with extreme poverty, and lethal diseases.
23. The Central African Republic
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 13.2Poverty, struggle, and ethnic issues remain as widespread as ever in the CAR.
22. Kenya
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 20.8Despite improving economy and job opportunities, Kenya has still a long way to go before its population experiences prosperity and wealth.
21. Egypt
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 20.9Egypt ranks 21st in our list of Hanke's Misery index mainly due to its economic struggles and lack of human rights.
However, as the country opens up to the world and companies like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), LYFT Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) begin their services in the country, per-capita income is expected to increase in the country in the coming years.
20. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 23.8Corruption is a serious issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the Bosnian War ended in 1995, the country has not stabilized.
19. Myanmar
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 26.0Myanmar is in the middle of a political crisis, and its people are sad, angry, and deeply confused. As the military has taken over the country, the residents of Myanmar took to the streets to protest against the anti-democratic military rule but were promptly stopped by authorities.
18. Ukraine
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 33.5Amid economic problems and years of war, Ukraine's population experiences misery and various problems in life.
17. Republic of India
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 35.8India is a developing nation that has improved its GDP and income per capita in the last few years, yet a huge part of its population is struggling to access even basic necessities of life.
16. Ethiopia
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 36.1Ethiopia has serious issues of human rights violations as well as poverty. The country is one of the poorest in Africa and had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
15. Jordan
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 37.9Jordan is the 15th of the 25 miserable countries in the world because of its political crisis. The monarchy and its mismanagement have aroused the people of Jordan to protest against the inept rule many times but to no avail. The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the political and economic condition of the country significantly. Unemployment has surged from 15% to 20% while the poverty rate has increased from 16% to 37%.
However, as the country opens up to the world and companies like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), LYFT Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) begin their services in the country, per-capita income is expected to increase in the country in the coming years.
14. Malawi
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 37.9Although Malawi is a peaceful country and has never been the site of a civil war, the residents of Malawi are among the most miserable in the world. The economic situation of the country troubles its people. Malawi struggles to provide its residents with sound medical services. Moreover, its graduates fail to find jobs in the country due to the lack of opportunities. The people of Malawi reportedly depend on their government for subsidies on all economic activities such as agriculture, farming, and even using electricity.
However, as the country opens up to the world and companies like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), LYFT Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) begin their services in the country, per-capita income is expected to increase in the country in the coming years.
13. Iraq
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 39.5For years Iraq has faced political turmoil, sectarian conflicts and war. The coronavirus pandemic has only made people’s condition worse.
12. Botswana
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 39.7Although Botswana has a stable economy, the people of Botswana experience sadness due to the lack of social support in their community, and income inequality. Poverty in Botswana has made it the twelfth on the list of 25 miserable countries in the world.
11. Congo
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 40.3Congo is the eleventh on our list of 25 miserable countries in the world and with good reason. Despite being the second-largest country in Africa and being gifted with an abundance of natural resources, Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. Decades of war and political instability cause half of the population of Congo to experience stress and mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
10. Namibia
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 40.7The people of Namibia have been strongly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has influenced the Namibians’ health, their economy, and their collective psychology. Even after the pandemic receded, the work environment in Namibia did not return to normal.
9. Nigeria
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 45.6Although Nigeria is the largest producer of oil in Africa, its population is not flourishing. One of the major factors for the unease and unhappiness of the country’s citizens is the ever-increasing corruption that takes a heavy toll on them.
8. Haiti
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 48.9Haiti is 8th on the list of 25 miserable countries in the world. The country’s economy depends primarily on tourism and the mining and exporting of minerals such as gold, marble, copper, and bauxite.
However, as the country opens up to the world and companies like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), LYFT Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) begin their services in the country, per-capita income is expected to increase in the country in the coming years.
7. South Africa
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 49.3South Africa is the 7th on our list of the 25 miserable countries in the world. South Africa is rich in mineral deposits yet the country’s economy is weak and struggles to survive. In addition to a weak economy, the country has experienced armed conflict and contains militant groups and rebels that confront the government frequently.
6. Brazil
Hanke's Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 53.4Brazil's population is facing misery amid declining incomes and COVID-related problems. The pandemic and human casualties associated with it have caused massive unemployment and a significant drop in people’s income. As a result, per capita income is lower than it has been in a decade.
However, as the country opens up to the world and companies like Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), LYFT Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) begin their services in the country, per-capita income is expected to increase in the country in the coming years.
5. Iran
Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 92.1The population of Iran has been unhappy for a long time now amid lack of human rights, poverty, sanctions and joblessness. Iran remains short on everything from luxury goods to basic hospital supplies due to the limitations imposed upon it by the developed world.
4. Lebanon
Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 177.1The people in Lebanon are one of the most miserable in the world amid poverty, civil war and sectarian problems
3. Sudan
Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 193.9Sudan is the third on our list of the 25 miserable countries in the world. The country has been the site of civil war since 2011. Even before the war began, the country spent decades riddled with conflicts and bloodshed. Since the war began in 2011, millions of people have died, and many left the country. Even now, the country is politically unstable, and its people suffer majorly from the trauma of losing their loved ones
2. Zimbabwe
Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 547The major reason behind the sadness of the people of Zimbabwe is poverty. 62% of all the country’s citizens live below the poverty line, while a quarter of the population has no reliable means to obtain food. The ruling class of Zimbabwe has preyed on its people and has made them suffer for decades due to their irresponsible planning and mismanagement. The coronavirus pandemic has made the people’s condition even grimmer, as millions were left with inadequate food supplies after the infection spread in the country.
1. Venezuela
Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2020 Score: 3827.6The policies of Venezuela’s government have failed to bring about any desirable results, and the high rate of corruption in the country makes its residents miserable. Moreover, the unemployment rate in the country is 9.14%, contributing to the residents’ misery. Furthermore, oil makes up 95% of the country’s exports; with oil reserves declining, the country’s government is unsuccessfully attempting to save the money that it already has. Due to this predicament, consumer price inflation is high, which adversely affects people’s happiness. Venezuela is the first on the list of 25 miserable countries in the world.
25 Miserable Countries in the World
In this article, we will take a look at the 25 miserable countries in the world. You can skip our discussion about our methodology to find out these countries and go directly to 5 Miserable Countries in the World. What makes people happy or miserable is still a question of immense research in...
