“It’s Not Stress That Kills Us, It’s Our Reaction To It.”

Stressed Out Countries- A study by Bloomberg indicated that Nigeria, South Africa, and El Salvador are the top 3 most stressed out countries worldwide. The study used 7 variables with equal weightage. These variables were income inequality, rates of homicide, unemployment, corruption awareness, life expectancy, air pollution in urban areas, and GDP per capita which was adjusted as per purchasing-power parity.

Points were given to each country for each variable as per the position of their ranking in each category. The nation with biggest stress measure for each variable was allotted 100 points, while country with lowest stress level got 0 points.

The scores of remaining countries were calculated as a percentile based on their relative position between the 2 extremes of the least stressful and the most stressed out country. The 7 different variable points were averaged to arrive at the final score which ranged between 0 and 100; higher final score meant a more stressed out environment for residents.

It may be noted that the study includes data only from 74 nations. Information could not be gathered for all the countries on the planet. Hence, the most stressed out countries ranking listed below is limited to only those nations where comprehensive data was available.

Top 3 Most Stressed Out Countries Worldwide

The top 3 most stressed out countries worldwide are mentioned below:

1. Nigeria

The Republic of Nigeria is the most stressed out country in the world. It is the eight most populous nation in the world, and the most populated in Africa. The country is abundant in varied natural resources, but still has the largest percentage of poor people in the continent.

The government in Nigeria is one of the most corrupt and its rule has been the main cause of mass poverty, and widespread unemployment, etc. Nearly 4.9 million in Nigeria are afflicted by HIV/AIDS and about 60 percent of citizens live below the poverty line. The country is also known for varied environmental issues like water pollution, large-scale deforestation, and unplanned urbanization, etc. The extreme and continuous conflict between Christian and Muslim residents also adds to the overall stress of life in the country.

2. South Africa

South Africa is the second most stressed out country worldwide. It was known for its excess crime rate, but violence and extreme crime have reduced in the recent years. Till 1994, the country was under the rule of a minority white government which followed a policy of apartheid. The country is now more democratic, but the mass stress caused by apartheid continues to invoke considerable tension between the black and white population in South Africa. Other factors which make South Africa the second most stressed out country in the world include sudden decline of the economy in 2009 which resulted in excessive poverty and continuous mass unemployment.

3. El Salvador

El Salvador, a country located in Central America, comes third in the list of most stressed out countries in the world.

The country is beset with a variety of problems that cause stress, including poverty, crime, violence, human rights violations, and immigration, etc. A large percentage of citizens migrate to North America every day to escape the dangers, problems, and stressful environment in the country.

However, the stringent immigration policy followed by the US against undocumented immigrants often leads to more stress for El Salvadorians escaping the strife in their homeland.