LEVELS of happiness among Tanzanians is by new United Nations and global opinion survey data deteriorating, with the country’s ranking slipping five positions to 136th this year from 131st slotted last year, out of 147 surveyed countries

The World Happiness Index 2025 report published at the end of last week by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, working with Gallup and Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Center, shows that at the start of 2025 the country’s live evaluation score dropped to 3.781 points, from 3.800 points by early last year.

Tanzania was ranked the 32nd happiest country out of 40 surveyed nations in Africa, indicating low levels of social connection, trust and mutual support among its people, while in the East African region, Tanzania lags behind Kenya (17th), Uganda (18th), Somalia (23rd) and Ethiopia (30th).

For over a decade, the World Happiness Report has highlighted social connections as key drivers of happiness, both at the individual and national levels, across different cultures, with its ranking based on GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

The report goes beyond economic performance, emphasizing that happiness is shaped by six key factors, listed as income, social support, health, freedom to make life choices, generosity and trust in institutions.

Earlier surveys by Afro-Barometer showed that confidence in institutions was not high in the country, with the police and courts cited as some of the least trusted public agencies,

The reports indicate that happiness scores are based on the resident populations in each country, rather than their citizenship or place of birth, with financial stability a vital component, while fostering stronger social ties are crucial in assessing overall well-being of the population.

Mauritius has reclaimed its position as Africa’s happiest country for 2025, securing the 78th spot globally—the highest ranking among African nations.

The island nation’s strong economy, largely driven by tourism, agriculture, and services, has contributed to its residents’ positive outlook on life.

Following closely behind, Libya ranked 79th globally, making it the second-happiest country in Africa. Algeria took the third position on the continent, followed by South Africa, Mozambique, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Guinea, and Namibia.

Namibia, ranked 103rd worldwide, displaced Senegal from Africa’s top 10 this year, underscoring how small shifts in well-being can impact the rankings.

Once again, Finland secured the title of the world’s happiest country—for the eighth consecutive year—followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Costa Rica.

This year’s report also examined how household size affects happiness. The findings suggest that people living with around four others tend to be happier than those who live alone.

Interestingly, individuals who live alone report higher financial satisfaction but often feel less fulfilled overall, likely due to fewer social connections. In essence, relationships still matter more than money when it comes to happiness.

“Using novel data for 142 countries and territories collected by Gallup in 2022 and 2023, we find stark differences in rates of meal sharing around the world.

While residents of some countries share almost all of their meals with others, people in other countries eat most of their meals alone. These differences are not fully explained by income, education, or employment,” the report states.

The findings reinforce that social connections are critically important for human health, happiness, and prosperity.

“People who are more socially connected tend to be happier, less stressed, more satisfied with their lives, less prone to depression, more engaged in their communities, and less likely to suffer from disease or disability,” the report concludes.