For the third year in a row, Bulgaria in 2012 once again had the negative distinction of leading the global suffering list, with 39% of Bulgarians rating their lives poorly enough to be considered “suffering”, Gallup reported
However, this time, Bulgaria is not alone at the top. Thirty-seven percent of Armenians were suffering, and Cambodians, Haitians, Hungarians, Malagasy, Macedonians, and Iranians followed closely behind.
Gallup classifies respondents as “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from zero to 10 based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Gallup considers people to be suffering if they rate their current lives a 4 or lower and their lives in five years a 4 or lower. The respondents do not label themselves as suffering.
In 20 out of 143 countries and areas surveyed in 2012, at least a quarter of the adult population rated their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering. Those countries span most world regions, including six places in crisis-hit Europe. Worldwide, one in seven adults was suffering in 2012. South Asia led the world in suffering at 24%, followed by 21% in the Balkans and the Middle East and North Africa regions.
Here is the list of the country where “suffering” was highest in 2012
Bulgaria – 39%; Armenia – 37%; Cambodia – 34%; Haiti – 32%; Hungary – 32%; Madagascar – 31%; Macedonia – 31%; Iran – 31%; Syria – 29%; Afghanistan – 29%; Lebanon – 29%; Tanzania – 28%; Bosnia and Herzegovina – 27%; Iraq – 27%; Romania – 27%; Malawi – 27%; Greece – 26%; Tunisia – 25%; Honduras – 25%; India – 25%.
“Suffering” was lowest in 2012 in Iceland, Qatar, Sweden, Norway, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Switzerland, Somaliland region, Venezuela, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Denmak, Thailand, Netherlands, Kuwait, Libya.
