Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa

South Africa: Share of people who say they are happy was 76.4% in 2014. ▬ Flat

Latest (2014)
76.4%
World rank
35th
of 39 countries
All-time high
80.4%
in 1984
All-time low
66.4%
in 1993
Years of data
6
1984–2014

Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa, 1984–2014

0204060801984199920141984: 80.4 %1993: 66.4 %1998: 72.4 %2004: 77.3 %2010: 77.8 %2014: 76.4 %

Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 76.4% for share of people who say they are happy in 2014.

That represents a change of down 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are happy in South Africa peaked at 80.4% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 66.4%, in 1993.

South Africa ranks 35th of 39 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa, 1984 to 2014.
Year % Change
1984 80.4%
1993 66.4% -17.5%
1998 72.4% +9.1%
2004 77.3% +6.8%
2010 77.8% +0.6%
2014 76.4% -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 80.4% 80.4% 80.4% 1
1990s 69.4% 66.4% 72.4% 2
2000s 77.3% 77.3% 77.3% 1
2010s 77.1% 76.4% 77.8% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 32 Slovakia 78.9% compare
  2. 33 Latvia 78.8% compare
  3. 34 Romania 77.9% compare
  4. 36 Ukraine 76.3% compare
  5. 37 Lithuania 73.7% compare
  6. 38 Nigeria 72.4% compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are happy in South Africa?
Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa was 76.4% in 2014, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are happy recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 80.4% in 1984.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are happy recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 66.4% in 1993.
How does South Africa rank for share of people who say they are happy?
South Africa ranks 35th out of 39 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of people who say they are happy rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are happy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are happy in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are happy
Unit
%
Source
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 224 data points, 1984–2022
Last refreshed

% of respondents replying "very happy" or "quite happy" when asked "Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, quite happy, not very happy or not at all happy?"