Nigeria ranks low in ‘World Happiness Report 2025’

Nigeria has been ranked in the lower half of countries in the latest World Happiness Report 2025, which assesses benevolence based on charitable donations, volunteering, and acts of kindness toward strangers.

The report, published by the Gallup World Poll (2022–2024) and the World Risk Poll (2019), evaluates six key indicators of benevolence across different nations. Nigeria performed poorly in most categories, particularly in charitable donations and the return of lost wallets, but ranked relatively higher in helping strangers.

The study suggests that social and religious norms, along with weak institutional social safety nets, influence patterns of generosity in different societies.

“The relative frequency of other benevolent acts depends on local social and religious norms, as well as the role of private benevolence as a substitute or supplement for institutional social safety nets,” the report stated.

Nigeria follows a trend observed in other African countries such as Jamaica, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, where people are more likely to help strangers but rank much lower in donation-based benevolence. The country also scored low in societal trust, particularly in the return of lost wallets.

“All five countries are near the bottom of the ranking for expected wallet return by police,” the report noted.

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE