Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 1.45 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan stood at 1.45.
The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 57.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan peaked at 4.26 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.36, in 2024.
That places Afghanistan 157th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4.26 | — |
| 2012 | 4.04 | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 3.58 | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 3.36 | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 3.79 | +12.9% |
| 2017 | 3.63 | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 3.2 | -11.8% |
| 2019 | 2.57 | -19.9% |
| 2020 | 2.52 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 2.4 | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 1.86 | -22.7% |
| 2023 | 1.72 | -7.4% |
| 2024 | 1.36 | -20.7% |
| 2025 | 1.45 | +6.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 1.45 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.06, 36% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 1.45 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.15, 28% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.55 | 2.57 | 4.26 | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.89 | 1.36 | 2.52 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 154 Rwanda 3.27 compare
- 155 Sierra Leone 3.25 compare
- 156 South Sudan 2.82 compare
More social development data for Afghanistan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.67 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0609 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.67 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Afghanistan was 1.45 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.26 in 2011.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.36 in 2024.
- How does Afghanistan rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Afghanistan ranks 157th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.