Bulgaria has been named the unhappiest country in Europe (Picture: Getty)
It might be popular with tourists thanks to ski resorts with £1.17 beer, but that’s not enough to make Bulgarians smile.
The Balkan country of Bulgaria has been named the unhappiest in the whole of Europe, in a poll that analysed levels of life satisfaction across the continent.
Over the course of a year, Eurostat asked Europeans to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of 0 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (very satisfied), finding that, with the exception of Bulgaria, the average levels were higher than 6.
Famous for its hot springs and stunning Black Sea beaches, these attributes sadly weren’t enough to increase happiness levels amongst locals, with Bulgarians ranking their life satisfaction at just 5.6 out of 10.
Bansko, Bulgaria is famous for its ski resorts (Picture: Getty)
It’s not all bleak, though. There’s plenty of joy to be found in Bulgaria. A country with a rich history, it’s renowned for its monasteries, mountains and even wine.
The capital city, Sofia, boasts landmarks that span more than 2,000 years of history, which includes Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Soviet occupation, and is situated at the foot of the captivating Vitosha Mountain.
The 2022 data was extracted in November 2023, and subsequently published by the European Commission.
Austria was named the happiest place to live (Picture: Getty)
At the other end of the spectrum, Austria, known for its stunning ski slopes, classical music and the Wiener Schnitzel, came up trumps in first place with an average of 7.9.
Poland, Romania and Finland followed close behind at 7.7, with the lowest levels reported in Bulgaria (5.6), Germany (6.5) and Greece (6.7).
The data suggested that some countries that had previously been associated with ‘low levels of income,’ including Romania and Poland, ranked amongst those with the highest levels of satisfaction – which, according to the report, represents the ‘complexity of the relation between subjective well-being and economic welfare.’
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It added that influencing factors can include age, level of education, family and financial situation, with young people (aged 16-29) demonstrating a higher life satisfaction compared with over 65s.
However, this was the opposite in countries like Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Finland.
Elsewhere, a recent survey by Rightmove polled 26,000 people in the UK on 13 ‘happiness measures.’ In doing so, it found that Hillingdon, West London, was the unhappiest place to live across the entirety of the UK.
In 213th place, the borough scored lowest on the happiness measures, including ‘I feel proud about the area I live in,’ ‘nature and green spaces,’ ‘artistic and cultural activities,’ and ‘I feel a sense of belonging.’
Eurostat’s ranking of the EU’s happiest countries in 2023:
Poland, Romania, Finland
Belgium, Netherlands
Denmark, Slovenia
Czech Republic, Ireland, Malta, Sweden
Estonia, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg
Spain, Lithuania
France, Portugal, Slovakia
Hungary
Croatia, Latvia
Greece
Germany
Bulgaria.
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It’s bad news for one Balkan nation.
