Out of a total of 74 countries surveyed, we‘re branded as one of the top worst places to live.
We beat the drug cartels in Mexico, the earthquakes in the Philippines, the debt crisis in Greece and even the human rights violations in Kazakhstan.
So what exactly makes South Africa such a crappy country?
Bloomberg’s Misery Index was developed to gauge a country’s overall economic health by measuring what people would like to see more of, versus what they would like to see less of.
It is equated by adding a country’s employment-, inflation-, and interest rates, and then deducting the real changes in GDP per capita.
The higher the score the higher the gloominess of the land.
South Africa racked up a raging 32.9%, followed by Bosnia at 48.97%, and topped by Venezuela at a shocking 188.2%, as the most miserable country in the world.
With a sky-high unemployment rate of 26.7% and our economic growth suppressed to a crawl by corruption and mismanagement, it is no wonder why the nation is not happy.
Meanwhile, Thailand was awarded an index of only 1.11%, making it the happiest place to live on Earth.
Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and Taiwan closely trailed.
Even though South Africans might have seriously short fuses, repulsive road rage and stifling stubbornness, we have the ability to make the best of any situation.
Our witty sense of humour is our coping mechanism and it is what enables us to thrive in the third most miserable country in the world.
Mark Twain once said: “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”
It is the glue that brings communities together and the sticky stuff that keeps them close.
