Moroccans are getting less cheerful, according to the 2019 World Happiness report

As expected, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network published the 2019 edition of its World Happiness report on March the 20th. The survey, which contains articles and rankings, measured national happiness in a number of countries on the International Day of Happiness.

In its 2019 edition, the World Happiness report ranked Morocco 89th among 156 nations. The country fell in the ranking after it was positioned 85th, last year. For the record, the North African Kingdom was ranked 84th in the report's 2017 edition and 90th in its 2016 publication.

To measure the level of happiness in every country, the report relies on several criteria, including GDP per capita, social assistance, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and the absence of corruption. According to the authors of the report, this year’s edition focuses the most on «happiness and community : how happiness has been changing over the past dozen years, and how information technology, governance and social norms influence communities».

Moreover, this year, the authors of the report linked happiness to governments. «The links between the government and happiness operate in both directions : what governments do affects happiness, and in turn the happiness of citizens in most countries determines what kind of governments they support».

Moroccans becoming less happy

Morocco ranks 98th in terms of GDP per capita, 139th in social assistance, 79th in the healthy life expectancy index and 76th in social freedom one. The kingdom, however, ranks 84th in the absence of corruption index and 154th when it comes to generosity.

In North Africa, Morocco is positioned third, behind Algeria (88th) which is also lagging in the ranking and Libya (72nd). The kingdom remains well ranked compared to Mauritania (122) and Tunisia, ranked this year in 124th.

In the MENA region, the kingdom ranks 8th, behind the United Arab Emirates (21st place), Saudi Arabia (28th), Qatar (29th), Bahrain (37th), Kuwait (51st), Libya (72nd) and Algeria.

The World Happiness Reports is topped by Finland 1st, followed by Denmark 2nd, Norway 3rd, Iceland 4th and the Netherlands 5th.

Malawi (150th), Rwanda, Tanzania, Central African Republic and South Sudan (156th) are at the bottom of the report.