Freetown, Sierra Leone – A new Gallup global survey has ranked Sierra Leone as one of the countries with the highest levels of daily worry and negative emotions, placing the nation at the top of a list dominated by Sub-Saharan African countries.
According to the findings, Sierra Leone and neighboring Guinea recorded the largest share of adults who reported feeling worried, with at least two in three citizens admitting to frequent worry. Both countries also featured among the top 10 globally where more than one-third of adults expressed feelings of anger.
The survey highlights Sub-Saharan Africa as the global epicenter of self-reported negative emotions, including sadness, anger, worry, and even physical pain. Nine of the top 11 countries worldwide in this category were from the region.
In Chad, levels of anger hit a record high in 2024, which Gallup linked to public frustration following a deadly ammunition depot explosion in June and unrest around disputed elections.
Globally, Gallup noted that negative emotions have eased since the COVID-19 pandemic but remain widespread in countries grappling with violence and conflict—an issue that continues to affect many African nations.
