Ten percent or lower are “thriving” in 41 of 155 countries or areas
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gallup’s global snapshot of wellbeing reveals a vast divide that underscores the diversity of economic development challenges around the world. The percentage who are “thriving” ranges from a high of 82% in Denmark to a low of 1% in Togo.
Using data collected in 155 countries or areas since 2005, Gallup classifies respondents as “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering,” according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale.
Adults within each of the four major regions are often worlds apart in how they evaluate their lives. Africa has the lowest well-being; no country in this region has a thriving percentage higher than 25%. In fact, of the 41 countries where the thriving percentage is 10% or lower, more than half are in Africa. Conversely, in the Americas, where “thriving” is highest, the only countries with less than a quarter thriving are Cuba (24%) and Haiti (4%). “Thriving” in the Americas is highest in Costa Rica (63%) and Canada (62%), followed closely by Panama (58%), Brazil (58%), and the United States (57%). Read on…