Mapped: Countries With The Highest Negative Emotions
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
On a global level, in 2023 people experienced an annual decline in negative emotions for the first time since 2014. While this is good news, unfavorable emotions all remain higher than they were a decade ago.
In this graphic, we use data from Gallup’s Global Emotions 2024 report to explore the countries where people report having negative experiences most often.
The Worst Countries in the Ranking
To determine how common negative emotions were within a country, Gallup asked people whether they felt physical pain, worry, sadness, stress, or anger during the previous day.
Country-level scores range from zero to 100, with 100 indicating the highest possible level of negative experiences. The overall world score was 31.
CountryScore (Max is 100)
Guinea53
Chad51
Sierra Leone50
Democratic Republic of the Congo49
Iraq49
Jordan48
Afghanistan47
Israel47
Liberia47
Benin45
Comoros45
Niger45
Northern Cyprus45
Northern Cyprus is a disputed territory and has been included based on the source’s data.
Unsurprisingly, the regions and areas experiencing the most negative experiences are those facing economic and political turmoil or military conflicts. Guinea has had a military government since a coup in 2021, and has faced intermittent deadly protests. Unfortunately, more than half of those surveyed in Guinea reported feeling worry (65%), physical pain (59%), sadness (52%) and stress (52%).
Israel became one of the countries with the most negative emotions in 2023, having been surveyed just two weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks. The country’s increase in negative experiences was substantial, considering Israel had one of the lowest scores on this index in 2022.
The Connection Between Negative Emotions and Loneliness
Apart from obvious contributors like war, health problems, and an inability to afford food, loneliness also contributed to negative experiences. People who reported feeling lonely a lot of the previous day were more likely to feel other negative emotions.
Experienced loneliness a lot of the previous dayDid not experience loneliness a lot of the previous day
Experienced anger43%17%
Experienced sadness54%18%
Experienced stress60%30%
Experienced worry64%33%
Experienced physical pain46%26%
Those who said they felt lonely were also less likely to experience positive emotions.
More Emotion Facts From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this article check out Mapped: Countries With the Highest Positive Emotions to see which countries felt well-rested, treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting, or felt joy.
The post Mapped: Countries Experiencing the Most Negative Emotions appeared first on Visual Capitalist.