Published: October 27, 2026
Happiness, in this ranking, means how people rate their own lives. The World Happiness Report asks people to place their life on a ladder from 0 to 10. A score of 0 is the worst possible life. A score of 10 is the best possible life. The report then averages the answers for each country over three years.
Mauritius leads Africa in 2026, with a score of 5.939 out of 10. It ranks 73rd in the world, out of 147 countries. That makes it the only African country in the global top 75. No African country reaches the global top 70. The gap between first and tenth in Africa is 1.141 points, from 5.939 for Mauritius to 4.798 for Tunisia.
The top ten average is 5.29 out of 10. Eight of the ten score at least 5.0. The top three are close. Mauritius leads Libya by 0.208 points. Libya leads Algeria by only 0.017 points. At the other end of the top ten, Tunisia takes tenth place by just 0.010 points over Nigeria, which ranks 11th in Africa.
5 Key Facts
- Mauritius ranks first in Africa at 5.939 out of 10, and 73rd in the world out of 147 countries.
- The top three are close: Mauritius (5.939), Libya (5.731), and Algeria (5.714) sit within 0.225 points of each other.
- Eight of the top ten score at least 5.0. Niger, in ninth place at 4.940, is the first country below 5.0.
- Tunisia takes tenth place at 4.798, just 0.010 points ahead of Nigeria (4.788) in 11th place in Africa.
- No African country reaches the global top 70. Mauritius, the best placed African country, ranks 73rd in the world.
The Ranking
| Rank | Country | Life evaluation score (out of 10) | Global rank (out of 147) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauritius | 5.939 | 73 |
| 2 | Libya | 5.731 | 81 |
| 3 | Algeria | 5.714 | 83 |
| 4 | Mozambique | 5.336 | 93 |
| 5 | Gabon | 5.167 | 96 |
| 6 | Côte d’Ivoire | 5.148 | 98 |
| 7 | Cameroon | 5.083 | 100 |
| 8 | South Africa | 5.009 | 101 |
| 9 | Niger | 4.940 | 103 |
| 10 | Tunisia | 4.798 | 105 |
Stat in context: the top ten average of 5.29 is well below the world leader. Finland kept first place in the world in 2026, for the ninth year in a row. The African leader, Mauritius, sits 72 places behind Finland in the global list. The comparison shows how far even Africa's best placed country is from the global top. For a different measure of how countries compare, see the safest countries in Africa in 2026, where Mauritius also ranks first, and the largest economies in Africa in 2026.
1. Mauritius: 5.939
Mauritius ranks first in Africa and 73rd in the world. Its score of 5.939 is 0.208 points ahead of Libya in second place. It is the only African country in the global top 75.
Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean. It also ranks first in Africa for safety in the 2026 Global Peace Index, as covered in the safest countries in Africa in 2026. Safety is one of the factors linked to life evaluations, but it is not the whole story. The happiness score comes from what people say about their own lives, not from a safety index alone.
No other African country matches Mauritius on this score. The gap to second place is 0.208 points. Only one neighbouring gap in the top ten is wider: the 0.378 point gap between Algeria in third place and Mozambique in fourth.
2. Libya: 5.731
Libya ranks second in Africa and 81st in the world, with a score of 5.731. It sits 8 places behind Mauritius in the global list. It leads Algeria by only 0.017 points, the smallest gap in the top ten.
Libya's high place may surprise readers, given its political divisions. The report measures how people rate their own lives. It does not measure political stability on its own. Family and community support can lift life evaluations even where politics are unsettled. The report does not give a single cause for Libya's score, and this article does not claim one.
Libya is the second of three North African countries in the top three. Algeria follows in third place. North Africa takes three of the top ten places in total, with Tunisia in tenth.
3. Algeria: 5.714
Algeria ranks third in Africa and 83rd in the world, with a score of 5.714. It trails Libya by 0.017 points. It leads Mozambique, in fourth place, by 0.378 points.
Algeria's score sits just above the 5.7 mark. It is one of only three African countries above 5.7. The other two are Mauritius and Libya. The drop from Algeria to Mozambique is the largest single step in the top four.
Algeria's place is consistent with its global rank. A global rank of 83rd puts it ahead of every African country except Mauritius and Libya. No other reading of the order fits the global ranks.
4. Mozambique: 5.336
Mozambique ranks fourth in Africa and 93rd in the world, with a score of 5.336. It is the fourth and last African country above 5.3. It leads Gabon, in fifth place, by 0.169 points.
Mozambique sits 10 places behind Algeria in the global list. That gap reflects a score gap of 0.378 points, the widest gap between neighbouring places in the top ten. Mozambique is the second highest ranked Southern African country in the list, after Mauritius. South Africa, the third Southern African country in the top ten, ranks eighth.
Mozambique's fourth place puts it ahead of several larger economies. Size of economy alone does not decide this ranking. People rate their lives on more than income, including support from others and freedom to make life choices.
5. Gabon: 5.167
Gabon ranks fifth in Africa and 96th in the world, with a score of 5.167. It leads Côte d'Ivoire, in sixth place, by only 0.019 points. That is the second smallest gap in the top ten.
Gabon is a Central African country. Its score keeps it just above the 5.1 mark. It sits 3 places behind Mozambique in the global list, and 2 places ahead of Côte d'Ivoire.
The closeness of fifth and sixth place matters. A small change in survey answers could swap the two countries in the next edition. Readers should treat Gabon and Côte d'Ivoire as effectively tied, even though the published order puts Gabon first.
6. Côte d'Ivoire: 5.148
Côte d'Ivoire ranks sixth in Africa and 98th in the world, with a score of 5.148. It trails Gabon by 0.019 points. It leads Cameroon, in seventh place, by 0.065 points.
Côte d'Ivoire is a West African country. It is the highest ranked West African country in the top ten. The next West African country in the ranking is Nigeria, in 11th place in Africa, just outside the top ten.
Côte d'Ivoire's sixth place keeps West Africa in the top half of this ranking. It also shows how tight the middle of the table is. Three countries, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Cameroon, sit within 0.084 points of each other.
7. Cameroon: 5.083
Cameroon ranks seventh in Africa and 100th in the world, with a score of 5.083. It is the last African country in the global top 100. It leads South Africa, in eighth place, by 0.074 points.
Cameroon's global rank of 100th is a round marker. It sits exactly on the edge of the global top 100. South Africa, at 101st, sits just outside it. The score gap between them is small, but the global rank gap marks a clear line.
Cameroon is the second Central African country in the top ten, after Gabon. Central Africa takes two of the top ten places. The other regions in the top ten are North Africa with three places, Southern Africa with three places, and West Africa with two places, counting Côte d'Ivoire and Niger.
8. South Africa: 5.009
South Africa ranks eighth in Africa and 101st in the world, with a score of 5.009. It is the last African country to score at least 5.0. It leads Niger, in ninth place, by 0.069 points.
South Africa is Africa's largest economy, as covered in the largest economies in Africa in 2026. Its eighth place here shows that economic size does not lead straight to a high life evaluation. South Africa also faces high inequality, which the report's factors do not capture in a single number.
South Africa's score sits only 0.009 points above 5.0. A tiny fall would drop it below the 5.0 mark. Its place in the top ten is safe for now, but its place above 5.0 is not.
9. Niger: 4.940
Niger ranks ninth in Africa and 103rd in the world, with a score of 4.940. It is the first country in the top ten below 5.0. It leads Tunisia, in tenth place, by 0.142 points.
Niger sits 2 places behind South Africa in the global list. Its score gap to South Africa is 0.069 points. That is a small gap, but it crosses the 5.0 line, which makes the two countries look further apart than they are.
Niger is the second West African country in the top ten, after Côte d'Ivoire. Its ninth place keeps it ahead of Tunisia and Nigeria. Both of those countries sit within 0.152 points of Niger.
10. Tunisia: 4.798
Tunisia ranks tenth in Africa and 105th in the world, with a score of 4.798. It takes the last top ten place by just 0.010 points over Nigeria, which scores 4.788 and ranks 106th in the world.
Tunisia is the third North African country in the top ten, after Libya and Algeria. North Africa therefore takes three of the top ten places. Tunisia's margin over Nigeria is the smallest winning margin in the ranking, apart from the Libya to Algeria gap of 0.017 points at the top.
Just outside the top ten, Nigeria ranks 11th in Africa at 4.788, and Senegal ranks 12th at 4.787. Senegal trails Nigeria by only 0.001 points. The bottom of the top ten is therefore very tight. A small survey change could reorder tenth, 11th, and 12th places in the next edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the World Happiness Report?
The World Happiness Report is an annual ranking of how people evaluate their own lives. It is published by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The 2026 edition was released on March 20, 2026, to mark the International Day of Happiness. It ranks 147 countries.
How is the happiness score calculated?
People answer the Gallup World Poll by rating their life on a ladder from 0 to 10. The report averages answers over three years, from 2023 to 2025 for the 2026 edition. The score is that average. Six factors help explain why scores differ: income per person, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and views on corruption. Those factors do not add up to the score. The score comes from what people say about their lives.
Why is Mauritius the happiest country in Africa?
Mauritius scores 5.939 out of 10, the highest life evaluation among African countries in the report. It ranks 73rd in the world. The report does not name a single cause for any country's score. Mauritius also ranks first in Africa for safety in the 2026 Global Peace Index, and it has stable institutions and broad access to health care and education. Those facts sit alongside the score, but they are not a proof of why people rate their lives as they do.
Why does Libya rank so high despite its problems?
Libya ranks second in Africa at 5.731, and 81st in the world. The ranking measures life evaluations, not political stability or economic output alone. Strong family and community support can lift how people rate their lives, even where politics are unsettled. The report does not give a country by country cause, so this article reports Libya's score without claiming one single reason for it.
Which African countries just missed the top ten?
Nigeria ranks 11th in Africa at 4.788, just 0.010 points behind Tunisia in tenth place. Senegal ranks 12th at 4.787, just 0.001 points behind Nigeria. After Senegal, the next African countries in the global list include Namibia, Kenya, Morocco, Guinea, Mali, Ghana, Somalia, and Uganda, in that broad order by global rank. The tight gaps at the edge of the top ten mean the tenth place could change in the next edition.
Data Sources
- World Happiness Report 2026, published by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, released March 20, 2026. Ranking of 147 countries, Gallup World Poll 2023 to 2025, life evaluations on a 0 to 10 scale: World Happiness Report.
- Full African top twelve with scores and global ranks, cross-checked against the global ranks in independent coverage: The Voice: Top 12 happiest countries in Africa, 2026.
- Independent coverage confirming Mauritius 73rd, Libya 81st, Algeria 83rd, Mozambique 93rd, and the top ten composition: BusinessDay: Nigeria slips to 106th in 2026 World Happiness Report; Media Talk Africa: Nigeria falls to 106 in 2026 World Happiness Report.
- Related African Exponent reading: safest countries in Africa in 2026; largest economies in Africa in 2026; foreign exchange reserves in Africa in 2026.
Methodology
Data vintage: World Happiness Report 2026, released March 20, 2026. The scores are three year averages of Gallup World Poll life evaluations from 2023 to 2025, on a scale from 0 to 10. The report ranks 147 countries in total.
How the African top ten was built: countries were ordered by their global rank and score in the 2026 report, highest score first. Global ranks settle the order where secondary summaries disagree. For example, Mozambique (93rd in the world) sits ahead of South Africa (101st), even though some secondary lists order them the other way. The African rank in this article is the rank among African countries in the report, not a separate African survey.
What the score is not: the score is an average of what people say about their own lives. It is not a measure of wealth, safety, or health on its own. The six factors named in the report, income per person, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and views on corruption, help explain differences between scores. They are not added together to make the score.
Scope and limits: only countries ranked in the 2026 report can appear. A country with no 2026 report entry cannot be ranked here, and no score has been estimated for any missing country. Totals in this article, such as the top ten average of 5.29 and the first to tenth gap of 1.141 points, are computed from the ten published scores. Regional counts in the country sections group countries by broad region for reading ease only, and they do not affect the ranking.
