HARARE – Zimbabwe has been ranked the third country in Africa with the best mental well-being, edging Kenya, while Tanzania and Nigeria secured the highest point respectively.
This was revealed in the Global Mind Project’s fourth annual ‘Mental State of the World’ report of March 2024, which was compiled by Sapien Labs.
Sapiens lab aggregated data from over 500,000 individuals across 71 nations.
The report utilised the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), an anonymous web-based assessment that evaluates various aspects of mental health, encompassing symptoms of major psychiatric disorders as well as positive elements of mental function.
Six-layered scores, including temperament and standpoint, social self, drive and inspiration, versatility and strength, cognizance, and brain-body connection were also utilised in the report.
Tanzania emerged as Africa’s happiest country with an MHQ score of 88, closely followed by Nigeria with an MHQ score of 83. Zimbabwe secured the third position with an MHQ score of 74.
Remarkably, this report comes at a time when Zimbabwe is grappling with economic hardships such as high living costs, unemployment, high inflation, and the aftermath of a disputed 2023 election.
Ironically, in 2022, Zimbabwe was ranked among the unhappiest countries globally in the annual World Happiness report, securing the 144th position out of 146.
Finland topped the list as the happiest country in the world.
Similarly, in the World Happiness Report released on March 20, 2023, Zimbabwe was ranked as the fourth unhappiest country in the world, following Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Sierra Leone.
