Libya has claimed the top spot in North Africa in the 2025 World Happiness Report, released by the United Nations, outperforming neighboring countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria.
The report placed Libya 79th globally and sixth among Arab countries, behind only the wealthier Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates (21st), Kuwait (30th), and Saudi Arabia (32nd). Despite its ongoing political divisions and economic hardships, Libya ranked higher than Algeria (84th), Morocco (112th), and Tunisia (113th), marking a notable achievement for a country still navigating a fragile transition.
The rankings are based on the Gallup World Poll, which measures how individuals evaluate their overall life satisfaction over a three-year period, in this case, from 2022 to 2024.
The World Happiness Report evaluates several key factors to determine each country’s score, including income levels, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
Libya’s relatively improved performance reflects a combination of resilience and modest progress in certain aspects of daily life. While public services and infrastructure remain under strain and political instability continues to impact governance, many Libyans have expressed a renewed sense of local community support and optimism about the future.
According to the report, these social dynamics have helped elevate Libya’s ranking above its North African peers.
The UN’s findings also highlight the gap in quality-of-life standards across the region. Countries with similar economic challenges scored significantly lower, suggesting that Libya has found a degree of social balance or adaptability not yet achieved in neighboring states.
However, the report cautions that the country still faces significant obstacles in achieving long-term stability and equitable development.
