UK earns second place for the most miserable country in the world

The UK has landed in second place for the most miserable country in the world.

With house prices skyrocketing and the cost-of-living crisis still in full swing, it's no wonder why Britain probably isn't one of the most desirable places to be at the minute.

Data was collected via the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment, with scores ranging from -100 to 200.

Scores under zero represent 'distressed or struggling', between zero and 50 meant 'enduring' while between 50 and 100 meant 'managing' and scores between 100 and 200 meant 'succeeding or thriving'.

Sigmund on Unsplash

Out of 71 countries surveyed, the UK took the 70th spot overall for mental wellbeing.

The country has been classified as 'distressed or struggling', after scoring 49 in comparison to the average global score of 65.

Of the people who took part in the UK, 35 percent said they were 'struggling' with their wellbeing.

Those at the bottom of the ranking were Brazil, South Africa, the UK and Uzbekistan.

The study stated: "Overall, the insights in this report paint a worrying picture of our post-pandemic prospects.

"We urgently need to better understand the drivers of our collective mental wellbeing, such that we can align our ambitions and goals with the genuine prosperity of human beings."

Getty Stock Image

On the other side of the world, in places such as Bangladesh and Syria, 26 percent of people admitted they were 'distressed or struggling'.

Despite a continuing civil war since 2014, Yemen scored better than the UK, Ireland and Australia, at 59.

The report also added: "Mental wellbeing remained at its post-pandemic low with yet again no sign of movement towards pre-pandemic levels.

"In 2023, at both a global level and at the level of individual countries, MHQ scores remained largely unchanged relative to 2021 and 2022, after a sharp drop during the pandemic years.

"This raises important questions about the lasting impact of the pandemic, and how shifts in the way we live and work and the amplification of existing habits."

It even displayed that an increase in eating ultra-processed food and broken relationships with friend and family, are a contributing factor and more prevalent in wealthier countries.

Getty Stock Image

The full ranking from highest to lowest mental wellbeing:

1. Dominican Republic
2. Sri Lanka
3. Tanzania
4. Panama
5. Malaysia
6. Nigeria
7. Venezuela
8. El Salvador
9. Costa Rica
10. Uruguay
11. Italy
12. Puerto Rico
13. Honduras
14. Armenia
15. Trinidad and Tobago
16. Philippines
17. Georgia
18. Israel
19. Colombia
20. Peru
21. Singapore
22. Mexico
23. Nicaragua
24. Zimbabwe
25. Ecuador
26. Republic of Moldova
27. Portugal
28. Kenya
29. United States
30. Democratic Republic of the Congo
31. Argentina
32. Paraguay
33. Guatemala
34. Mozambique
35. France
36. Cote d'Ivoire
37. Chile
38. Jordan
39. Saudi Arabia
40. Canada
41. United Arab Emirates
42. Cameroon
43. Tunisia
44. Belarus
45. Angola
46. Syria
47. Belgium
48. Morocco
49. Sudan
50. Algeria
51. Spain
52. New Zealand
53. Azerbaijan
54. Bangladesh
55. Germany
56. Pakistan
57. Kazakhstan
58. Ukraine
59. Bolivia
60. Kyrgyzstan
61. India
62. Yemen
63. Iraq
64. Ireland
65. Egypt
66. Australia
67. Tajikistan
68. Brazil
69. South Africa
70. United Kingdom
71. Uzbekistan

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.

Topics: Mental Health, UK News, World News

Mia Williams

Mia is a freelance writer for LADBible, and an award-winning trainee journalist at the UK’s No.1 journalism school, News Associates.

@mia_francessca