Nigeria Ranked 7th Friendliest Country to Strangers – UN 2025 Happiness Report
Nigeria has been named the 7th friendliest country to strangers globally, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report published by the United Nations.
The report, developed by Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, evaluated 147 countries based on self-reported well-being and prosocial behaviours such as helping strangers, volunteering, and donating.
Despite its strong ranking in kindness towards strangers, Nigeria placed 105th overall in global happiness, reflecting broader issues like low life satisfaction and fragile public institutions.
A key insight from the report was the “trust gap” observed in Nigeria: citizens displayed more confidence in strangers than in official systems. In a test scenario involving lost wallets, Nigeria ranked:
- 33rd if found by a stranger
- 71st if found by a neighbour
- 126th if found by the police
These results underline the widespread distrust in public institutions, a trend also noted in other countries with weak governance frameworks.
The report stated: “Where institutional structures are fragile, helping strangers becomes the most immediate and trusted form of goodwill.”
Other countries displaying similar trends include Jamaica, Liberia, Trinidad, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Zambia.
Additionally, Nigeria ranked 45th globally for charitable giving.
