Cameroon has been ranked 104th in the world in terms of happiness, with the nation placing 12th in Africa. This data comes from the 2024 World Happiness Report, a collaboration between Gallup, Oxford University, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report examines various factors contributing to people’s happiness, including age, gender, inequality, social support, and opportunities.
“Our happiness rankings are based on life evaluations, as the more stable measure of the quality of people’s lives,” the report stated
The report’s methodology focuses on life evaluations as a stable measure of people’s well-being. Despite ongoing challenges such as youth unemployment, internal conflicts in Anglophone regions and the Far North, and economic difficulties, Cameroon finds itself relatively low on the happiness index. This prompts questions about the reasons behind this ranking, especially considering reports of many Cameroonian youths seeking better opportunities abroad.
Comparatively, other nations facing significant challenges seem to fare better in happiness rankings. For instance, Libya, despite enduring years of conflict following the death of Muammar Gaddafi, ranks as the happiest country in Africa. Similarly, Nigeria and Palestine, both grappling with severe socio-political issues including insurgency, occupation, and conflict, rank higher than Cameroon in happiness.
“In this issue of the World Happiness Report, we focus on the happiness of people at different stages of life. In the seven ages of man in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the later stages of life are portrayed as deeply depressing. But Happiness research shows a more nuanced picture and one that is changing over time,” the 2024 World Happiness Report stated.
The 2024 World Happiness Report sheds light on global happiness trends, highlighting shifts in happiness levels across different age groups and regions. It notes an increase in happiness inequality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and identifies factors like social support, loneliness, and social interactions as significant influencers of happiness.
“In almost every global region, comparably measured feelings of social support are more than twice as prevalent as loneliness. Both social support and loneliness affect happiness, with social support usually having the larger effect,” it stated.
Despite challenges and disparities in opportunities, global trends suggest that young people tend to report higher life satisfaction than older adults. However, the gender gap in happiness remains pronounced, with young girls often reporting lower levels of happiness compared to boys.
At the top of the happiness rankings, Finland and Denmark lead the pack. The reasons behind their high levels of happiness compared to Cameroon and other nations experiencing similar challenges warrant further exploration.
