Saddest Countries in the World: As Humans, emotions are a part of us. Emotions are feelings that emanate from a particular circumstance or situation that a person goes through. There are different types of emotions such as Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Surprise, etc. And just like every other type of emotion, sadness comes and goes. This is why it is important to not dwell on it for a long time – it may cause havoc. Sadness is an unhappy feeling we experience when we face disappointment, discouragement, or any other events leading to sadness. Sadness is a melancholy feeling. It is normal to feel sad. It only becomes a problem when it becomes excessive.
The productivity level of a person is dependent on his mindset and if he is a melancholic thinker then there is only a little progress he can attain. This also goes to a country. The productivity level of a country depends on the mindset of its citizens. How they relate to each other, react, and respond to circumstances surrounding them affects the outlook of the country. There is no doubt that the happenings in the country influence the emotions of the citizens but then it is the people that make up the country. Some people are happier than others, the same for countries too. Happiness can be said to be relative. This solely depends on the circumstances surrounding a set of people.
Research is carried out by the United Nations on its member countries regularly to ascertain the happiest and saddest countries in the world. This report is very important in so many ways as it guides policy-making, and serves as a guide for those who intend to travel for reasons like relocating or tourism.
Finland, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Austria, Denmark, etc are all ranked among the top happiest countries. Some countries ranked below in the happiness survey and this could be d because of the poor living conditions, political conflicts, and poor economic growth. In no particular order let’s look into the saddest countries in the world.
1. Afghanistan: Afghanistan is said to be the saddest country in the world even before the Taliban took over its leadership a year ago. This is known from the World Happiness report. 149 countries were surveyed and Afghanistan ranked last.
Officially known as the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan. The capital is Kabul and it is also the largest city in the country. It is called the heart of Asia as it borders most Asian countries. The population is estimated to be 40.2 million and the ethnic groups are Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.
Afghanistan is bountifully blessed with a lot of mineral resources such as Iron, gold, oil, natural gas, bauxite, coal, copper, gypsum, ore, rare piles of earth, chromium, lead, zinc, gemstones, sulphur, lithium, and marble, etc.
With this number of gold mines laid on its soil, it is an irony that they are the world’s saddest country. And this brings us to the fact that sometimes riches don’t bring happiness. And with the never-ending war in the country, nothing less than sadness is expected from its citizens as they are only concerned with their safety.
2. Malawi: An African country in the Southeastern region. Best known for its enormous lake Malawi and highlands. Malawi is embodied by so many beautiful cultures and they are great sites for tourism purposes.
Being heavily dependent on Agriculture and constantly faced with climate shocks, overpopulation, and inequality problems, the economic growth of the country is low so the maladies have been ranked a sad country after a survey on World Happiness was carried out.
3. South Sudan: Bordered by Kenya, Ethiopia, Central Africa Republic, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Capital: Juba It gained independence from Sudan in 2011. Its population is mainly African cultures with Christian beliefs. Its economic development journey after 8 years of being independent has been poor.
It is faced with so many challenges such as Underdevelopment, poverty, and political crisis.
4. Rwanda: It is the fifth most densely populated country in the world and the first in Africa. It has two rainy seasons and dry seasons every year. Rwanda is made up of one cultural group known as Banyarwanda.
Freedom of speech is an asset every human being deserves to own but this is not the case for the Rwandans. The citizens and Media lack the freedom to freely express their views. When one is limited or tamed from expressing their thoughts, it causes sadness which may lead to anger. Also, the high cost of living, high rate of unemployed citizens, and unfair justice systems stem up to be the reasons why Rwanda is among the saddest countries.
5. Yemen: Yemen is an Asian country in the West. It is filled with a lot of mountains. It is among the poorest countries in Arabia. Its humanitarian crisis is believed to be the worst because of its widespread hunger, diseases, and attacks carried out on civilians.
6. Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe is a country in the southern part of Africa with an estimated population of 15 million people. It has 16 languages. English, Shona, and Ndebele are the most common. Tourism plays a key part in the economy of Zimbabwe but recently they’ve recorded a negative slope from it due to deforestation and poaching.
With a seemingly dictatorial kind of government, more than half of the population is in a devastating form. The high rate of employment and lack of basic amenities has left the citizens in shambles.
No wonder they are ranked among the saddest countries.
7. Botswana: With Gaborone as its capital, its official language is English. It is home to wildlife habitats like big cats and elephants. Botswana is the best place to see meerkats in the world. It is also one of the countries that produce the largest diamonds.
There are quite a few reasons behind the unhappy state of the country. For instance, lack of social support, inequality in income, and generosity. Also, it is stated that the president is not a happy man.
8. Haiti: Haiti is a Caribbean country. It is the second country to gain independence from France in 1809 with the USA as the first. But the political, economic, and natural crisis has left it in a poor form like chronic poverty and other problems over the centuries.
Only a few rich populations in Haiti have access to a mobile phone. It has beautiful beaches, Mountains and delicious cuisines. Despite the difficulties they face as a nation, they are known to be very resilient.
9. Lebanon: Known as the Lebanese Republic or the Republic of Lebanon. It is in the western part of Asia. It is the third smallest country in the Middle east. It is a great site for tourists’ adventures as it has one of the oldest places in the world. The tourist industry also funds the local economy.
The poor economic situation of the country has led thousands of its citizens into poverty and it has led to anti-government protests.
10. Tanzania: A country in the east of Africa.
It is known for its vast wireless areas. The safari mecca has the five biggest animals which are lion, tiger, rhino, buffalo, and elephants. It also houses Africa’s biggest Mountain.
Just like every other country most especially in Africa, corruption is a huge factor in its development growth. The excessive use of power by public officials and security agencies has done more harm than any good
11. Syria: Officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic. Capital is Damascus. It is a west Asian country located in the eastern Mediterranean and Levant.
Syria is food insecure and 90 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. It is one of the most dangerous countries in the world and this could be said to be because of its never-ending political war. The majority of its citizens depend solely on humanitarian assistance.
12. The central African Republic: Its major languages are French and sango. The religions are Christianity, Islam, and native faiths. It has rainforests and grassy savannas. It has forest elephants and lowland gorillas more than any other African country.
It is richly blessed in timber and diamonds. With a weak institution, poor infrastructural development, and limited access to basic amenities of life, the Central African Republic has been ranked among the saddest countries in the world. Thus, The yardstick used to survey the saddest countries in the world is stated below.
a. Low per capita GDP.
b. Low life expectancy.
c. Insufficient public healthcare facility.
d. Lack of freedom of choice in social and political space.
e. High levels of corruption.
It is important to note that these countries are bountifully blessed with natural resources that if properly managed, will set them above other countries in terms of development and economic growth. They also have something in common which is corruption and bad leadership. Unfortunately, this is chiefly a problem in Africa. The mismanagement of funds and the selfish desires of the African leaders are setbacks to its people.
