Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 3.35 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe stood at 3.35.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe peaked at 4.83 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2021.
Zimbabwe ranks 152nd of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3.98 | — |
| 2012 | 4.83 | +21.3% |
| 2014 | 4.61 | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 4.19 | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 3.88 | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 3.69 | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 3.66 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 3.3 | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 3.15 | -4.7% |
| 2021 | 3 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 3.2 | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 3.34 | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 3.4 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 3.35 | -1.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 3.35 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.63, 72% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 3.35 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.38, 76% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.02 | 3.3 | 4.83 | 8 |
| 2020s | 3.24 | 3 | 3.4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More social development data for Zimbabwe
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,570 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (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 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Zimbabwe was 3.35 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.83 in 2012.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2021.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Zimbabwe ranks 152nd out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.