World Database of Happiness , collection Happiness in Nations

Happiness in South Africa (ZA)

Current happiness: place on rank lists of Happiness in nations 2010-2018

HappinessAverage HappinessHappy Life YearsInequality of HappinessInequality Adjusted Happiness
Possible ranges0 - 100 - 1000 - 3.50 - 100
Highest score8.3  Mexico66.8  Switzerland1.41  Netherlands73  Denmark
South Africa6.034.12.4447
Lowest score3.4  Central African Republic18.8  Central African Republic3.16  Egypt26  Egypt

All above happiness variants are based on responses to a survey question like: “Taking all together, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life-as-a-whole these days?”. Combined question types 10-step numeral life satisfaction and 11-step numeral life satisfaction.

Trend based on happiness as measured with a survey question like: "Overall, how satisfied are you with your present life? - very satisfied - fairly satisfied - neither satisfied nor dissatisfied - fairly dissatisfied - very dissatisfied very satisfied = 5 ..... very dissatisfied = 1". Question type 5-step verbal LifeSatisfaction (code 121D). This measure may differ from the measure used in the above ranking of current happiness.
   Other measures of happiness used in this nation may produce a different pattern over time. Check the complete overview of distributional findings on happiness in the general public of South Africa.

Cite as: R. Veenhoven, Happiness in South Africa (ZA), World Database of Happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Viewed on 2020-09-26 at worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl .