Which country has the highest Misery Index?

Venezuela has the highest Misery Index in 2025, at 556.5, followed by Sudan (225.4) and Turkey (101).

Which country has the lowest Misery Index?

Taiwan has the lowest Misery Index in 2025, at 2.1.

What is the median Misery Index across countries?

The median is 21.85 across the 178 countries with data in 2025.

Where does this worst countries to live in data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The world’s most — and least — miserable economies in 2025, ranked - Fortune; Hanke’s 2024 Misery Index - National Review; Hanke’s 2023 Misery Index - National Review; Hanke’s 2022 Misery Index - National Review.

Country rankings

Worst Countries to Live in

Name: Worst Countries to Live in
Creator: Rankodex

Venezuela has the highest Misery Index in 2025 (556.5), followed by Sudan (225.4) and Turkey (101). Taiwan has the lowest (2.1).

Population196 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Sep 5, 2025Original page

11 sources

Showing

Year

178 of 235 countries

Compare this metric Add to combined ranking Open full map

Misery Index, 2025

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 178 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

21.85

Middle half 15.13 – 35.68

Average

31.64

178 countries

Lowest (best)

2.1

Taiwan

Highest (worst)

556.5

Venezuela

Over time · 2020–2025

The top 5 in 2025, against the median.

Median of all countries
Taiwan
Singapore
Thailand
Ireland
Ivory Coast

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

178 countries · # = rank by Misery Index

#
1	Taiwan	2.1	Unemployment
2	Singapore	2.6	Lending rate
3	Thailand	3.1	Lending rate
4	Ireland	5.3	Lending rate
5	Ivory Coast	6.3	Lending rate
6	Macau	6.7	Lending rate
7	Japan	7.2	Inflation
7	Qatar	7.2	Lending rate
9	Burkina Faso	7.4	Lending rate
9	Guinea-Bissau	7.4	Lending rate
11	Switzerland	7.8	Lending rate
12	Malaysia	8.5	Lending rate
12	Czechia	8.5	Lending rate
14	China	8.7	Unemployment
14	Senegal	8.7	Lending rate
16	Cambodia	8.8	Lending rate
17	Togo	9.4	Lending rate
18	Malta	9.5	Unemployment
19	Bahrain	9.7	Lending rate
20	Hong Kong	10	Lending rate
20	Denmark	10	Lending rate
22	Niger	10.2	Inflation
23	Vietnam	10.7	Lending rate
24	South Korea	11	Lending rate
25	Tonga	11.3	Inflation
26	Mali	11.7	Lending rate
26	Fiji	11.7	Unemployment
28	Seychelles	11.8	Lending rate
29	Kuwait	11.9	Lending rate
29	Croatia	11.9	Unemployment
31	United Arab Emirates	12	Lending rate
32	Germany	12.2	Unemployment
33	Netherlands	12.3	Lending rate
33	Belize	12.3	Lending rate
35	Israel	12.5	Lending rate
36	Solomon Islands	12.7	Lending rate
37	Slovenia	13	Unemployment
38	Ecuador	14.4	Lending rate
39	Nicaragua	14.5	Lending rate
40	Aruba	14.7	Lending rate
41	El Salvador	14.8	Lending rate
42	Oman	15	Lending rate
42	Costa Rica	15	Lending rate
42	Cyprus	15	Lending rate
45	Sri Lanka	15.1	Lending rate
46	Papua New Guinea	15.2	Lending rate
47	Samoa	15.4	Lending rate
48	Philippines	15.5	Lending rate
49	Laos	15.7	Lending rate
49	Bulgaria	15.7	Lending rate
51	Maldives	16.1	Lending rate
52	Italy	16.5	Unemployment
53	Guatemala	16.6	Lending rate
54	Poland	16.7	Lending rate
55	Indonesia	16.8	Lending rate
55	Belgium	16.8	Unemployment
57	Slovakia	16.9	Unemployment
57	Comoros	16.9	Lending rate
59	United States	17	Lending rate
59	Cameroon	17	Lending rate
61	Portugal	17.2	Unemployment
61	Bhutan	17.2	Lending rate
63	Brunei	17.3	Lending rate
64	France	17.8	Unemployment
64	Luxembourg	17.8	Unemployment
66	Mexico	18	Lending rate
67	Norway	18.2	Lending rate
67	Lithuania	18.2	Unemployment
69	Trinidad and Tobago	18.4	Lending rate
70	Saudi Arabia	18.5	Unemployment
71	Panama	18.6	Lending rate
72	Tanzania	19.1	Lending rate
72	Grenada	19.1	Unemployment
74	Hungary	19.2	Lending rate
75	Australia	19.3	Lending rate
76	United Kingdom	19.6	Lending rate
77	Moldova	20	Lending rate
78	Canada	20.1	Lending rate
78	Latvia	20.1	Unemployment
78	Vanuatu	20.1	Unemployment
78	Barbados	20.1	Lending rate
82	Guyana	20.2	Unemployment
83	Liberia	20.6	Lending rate
84	Albania	20.8	Unemployment
85	Chad	20.9	Lending rate
86	Morocco	21	Unemployment
86	Belarus	21	Lending rate
88	Austria	21.3	Unemployment
89	Mauritius	21.8	Lending rate
90	Bahamas	21.9	Unemployment
91	Greece	22	Unemployment
92	India	22.9	Lending rate
92	Finland	22.9	Unemployment
94	Uganda	23.1	Lending rate
94	Sweden	23.1	Unemployment
94	Jamaica	23.1	Lending rate
94	Iceland	23.1	Lending rate
98	Peru	23.3	Lending rate
99	Bangladesh	23.5	Inflation
100	Chile	24	Unemployment
100	Serbia	24	Unemployment
102	New Zealand	24.2	Lending rate
103	Spain	25	Unemployment
104	Turkmenistan	25.1	Lending rate
105	Paraguay	25.4	Lending rate
106	Estonia	25.6	Lending rate
107	Saint Lucia	26.4	Unemployment
108	Uruguay	26.5	Lending rate
109	Algeria	26.8	Unemployment
109	Kyrgyzstan	26.8	Lending rate
111	Montenegro	27.1	Unemployment
112	North Macedonia	27.4	Unemployment
112	Cape Verde	27.4	Unemployment
114	Kenya	28.1	Lending rate
115	Ethiopia	28.5	Inflation
115	Dominican Republic	28.5	Lending rate
117	Sierra Leone	29.1	Lending rate
117	Central African Republic	29.1	Lending rate
119	Romania	29.2	Lending rate
120	Russia	29.3	Lending rate
121	Azerbaijan	30	Lending rate
122	Guinea	30.2	Lending rate
123	Nepal	30.3	Unemployment
124	Mongolia	30.6	Lending rate
125	Burundi	31	Inflation
126	Zambia	31.7	Inflation
127	Armenia	32.8	Lending rate
128	Equatorial Guinea	32.9	Unemployment
129	Ghana	33	Lending rate
130	Honduras	34	Lending rate
131	Gambia	34.2	Inflation
132	Tajikistan	35.5	Lending rate
133	Colombia	35.6	Lending rate
134	Pakistan	35.7	Lending rate
135	Libya	36	Unemployment
136	Uzbekistan	36.5	Lending rate
137	DR Congo	36.9	Lending rate
138	Mozambique	37.3	Lending rate
139	Cuba	37.4	Inflation
140	Kazakhstan	37.8	Lending rate
140	Mauritania	37.8	Lending rate
142	Nigeria	37.9	Inflation
143	Rwanda	38.9	Lending rate
144	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	39.1	Unemployment
145	Georgia	40	Lending rate
146	Syria	41.2	Unemployment
147	Jordan	41.3	Unemployment
148	Iraq	42	Unemployment
149	Suriname	43.6	Lending rate
150	Tunisia	43.9	Unemployment
151	Bolivia	44	Inflation
152	Sao Tome and Principe	45.8	Lending rate
153	Egypt	46.5	Unemployment
154	Lesotho	48.5	Unemployment
155	Republic of the Congo	49.8	Unemployment
156	Namibia	50.8	Unemployment
157	Palestine	52.5	Inflation
158	Ukraine	55.6	Lending rate
159	Gabon	58.6	Unemployment
160	Brazil	59.6	Lending rate
161	Bosnia and Herzegovina	59.7	Unemployment
162	Botswana	60.1	Unemployment
163	Djibouti	60.6	Unemployment
164	Zimbabwe	64.7	Lending rate
165	Myanmar	65.9	Inflation
166	Yemen	71	Lending rate
167	Angola	72.3	Lending rate
168	Haiti	72.4	Inflation
168	Lebanon	72.4	Unemployment
170	Madagascar	74	Lending rate
171	Malawi	75.2	Inflation
172	South Africa	79	Unemployment
173	Eswatini	80	Unemployment
174	Argentina	88.4	Inflation
175	Iran	95.9	Inflation
176	Turkey	101	Lending rate
177	Sudan	225.4	Inflation
178	Venezuela	556.5	Inflation

What correlates with Misery Index (2025)?

Pearson r against 1,443 other country metrics sharing at least 107 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Misery Index tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

Inflation RateInflation Rate by Country
r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 147
Plot
Asylum Seekers OriginatedRefugees by Country
r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 170
Plot
Interest RateInterest Rates by Country
r = +0.68 · strong · n = 142
Plot
Inflation, Consumer Prices (%)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)
r = +0.65 · strong · n = 161
Plot
Total Refugees OriginatedRefugees by Country
r = +0.47 · moderate · n = 171
Plot
EconomyFailed States
r = +0.39 · moderate · n = 169
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Misery Index tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

Economic Freedom ScoreFreest Countries
r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 160
Plot
GII Institutions RankMost Innovative CountriesA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 131
Plot
EFW Score (Fraser)Capitalist Countries
r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 160
Plot
Econ Freedom Index HeritageEconomic Freedom Index by Country
r = −0.41 · moderate · n = 167
Plot
Vacc. Rate ROTACVaccination Rates by Country
r = −0.40 · moderate · n = 112
Plot
Average Vaccination RateVaccination Rates by Country
r = −0.37 · moderate · n = 172
Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Misery Index?: Venezuela has the highest Misery Index in 2025, at 556.5, followed by Sudan (225.4) and Turkey (101).
Which country has the lowest Misery Index?: Taiwan has the lowest Misery Index in 2025, at 2.1.
What is the median Misery Index across countries?: The median is 21.85 across the 178 countries with data in 2025.
Where does this worst countries to live in data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The world’s most — and least — miserable economies in 2025, ranked - Fortune; Hanke’s 2024 Misery Index - National Review; Hanke’s 2023 Misery Index - National Review; Hanke’s 2022 Misery Index - National Review.

Higher together

Opposite directions

Quick answers

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