Kenyans’ happiness levels drop for second year running in 2025
The annual World Happiness Report 2025 edition, ranks Kenya at position 115 out of 147 surveyed countries.
Kenyans' levels of happiness have dropped this year, according to a new report, marking the second consecutive year of decline since 2018.
The annual World Happiness Report 2025 edition, ranks Kenya at position 115 out of 147 surveyed countries.
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This is a one-place drop from last year's report where it ranked 114 out of 143 countries.
Notably, last year’s drop was a three-position drop from 111 in 2023, and the record marked the reversal of a five-year trend, since 2018, where the country's score had been on a sustained improvement trajectory.
Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden retained their positions as the top four happiest countries in the world, in that order.
Conversely, the world’s unhappiest countries per the report are Zimbabwe (143), Malawi (144), Lebanon (145), Sierra Leone (146) and Afghanistan (147).
Regionally in East Africa, Kenya ranks ahead of its neighbours; Uganda (116), Somalia (122), Ethiopia (132), Tanzania (136) and DRC (141).
High taxation
Although the report did not give reasons behind Kenya's decline in happiness in the better part of 2024, the period notably faced a tough macroeconomic environment, a scenario that arguably took a toll on Kenyans’ livelihoods.
The period was characterised by public dissatisfaction with high taxation that ultimately culminated in the June 2024 Gen-Z-led protests.
The government in its 2024/2025 budget plans had proposed additional taxes in the withdrawn 2024 Finance Bill, amidst the already limited household incomes.
At the same time, Kenyans expressed their discontent over the rising corruption among government officials.
Additionally, the cost of living remained elevated in the period under review, with food prices remaining stubbornly high for the better part of the year.
The annual World Happiness Report is produced in partnership with the American management consulting company Gallup, the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
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