Saudi Arabia has emerged as the country with the highest personal satisfaction rate in a recent survey, as dissatisfaction is growing across the world.
According to the latest FII PRIORITY Global Survey, conducted by the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII), 84% of Saudis said they are satisfied with their own lives, which is the highest rate among the 24 countries surveyed.
Overall Satisfaction Rates
The survey shows that 60% of the global population are satisfied with their own lives, while 21% are dissatisfied. When it comes to world affairs, 52% expressed their dissatisfaction with current situation in the world.
On the regional level, 77% in the MENA region said they are satisfied with their own lives, the highest rank among regions. Meanwhile, 44% said they are satisfied with the situation in the world.
Survey Methodology
The FII conducted the PRIORITY Global Survey in collaboration with Ipsos, in the period between June 15-July 27, 2024, covering 50,700 respondents from 24 countries. These countries represent 62.5% of the global population, reflecting the geographic and socio-economic diversity of the world.
The survey involved 10 countries representing the Global North (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK, and US), as well as 14 countries representing the Global South (Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Türkiye).
Satisfaction by Country
With regards to individual countries, 84% of Saudi citizens said they are satisfied with their own lives, while 51% expressed satisfaction with the current state of world affairs. Egypt followed in the second place with 81% satisfied with their lives and 51% satisfied with the situation in the world.
In the last place came South Korea, with only 39% saying they are satisfied with their own lives and 12% satisfied with the current situation in the world. However, the results show that it is only in South Africa, the Ivory Coast, Argentina, Japan, Türkiye and South Korea that less than half of the citizens are satisfied with their lives.
When it comes to dissatisfaction with personal life, Saudi Arabia scored as low as 7%, compared to 38% in Türkiye, the highest level of dissatisfaction measured in the survey.
National Situation
The survey examined citizens’ satisfaction with the situation in their country, where the scores varied sharply. China came in the first place, with 80% satisfied with their country. France, Argentina, and South Korea scored the lowest levels, with 14% each. On the other hand, Türkiye showed the highest levels of dissatisfaction with the national situation, scoring 72%.
Meanwhile, countries like the US, Brazil, Mexico, the UK, Sweden, Poland and France showed a wide gap between country and life satisfaction. In Mexico, for example, 67% said they are satisfied with their lives but only 28% satisfied with their country. In China, satisfaction with country (80%) was higher than satisfaction with life (70%).
Determinants of Life Satisfaction
Citizens around the world determined three key elements for a good quality of life. These are physical health, mental health and financial security. Each one of these elements got 53%.
Citizens from the Global South were more concerned over financial security, with 55% mentioning it as key element for life satisfaction. Africa was the highest with 68% and Asia was the lowest with 47%.
On the other hand, citizens from the Global North cited physical health (63%) and mental health (57%) as key determinants.
Satisfaction with Other Elements
Moreover, most global citizens showed satisfaction with the different elements of life satisfaction included in the survey. With regards to basic needs, 71% were satisfied with their clothing, 70% with their household amenities, 65% with their access to a variety of good-quality food, and 62% with their housing.
The lowest satisfaction levels went to sleep quality (58%) and access to leisure activities (56%). The survey noted that in the Global South, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Nigeria have higher than average satisfaction levels, whereas Türkiye and Argentia have lower levels. In Saudi Arabia, 78% of citizens are satisfied with their ability to clothe themselves adequately, compared to 45% in Türkiye.
In the Global North, the US, UK, and Sweden have higher than average satisfaction levels, while Japan and Italy showed lower satisfaction. For example, 77% in the US said they are satisfied with their access to a sufficient diet, compared to 54% in Japan.
Global Concerns
For global citizens, economy came on the top of their main concerns, with 40% citing the economic situation as their main issue. Governance came in the second place with 19%, followed by healthcare (17%) and environment (14%).
The Global North and Global South scored close ranking for these issues. 37% of citizens if the Global North mentioned the cost of living and quality of life as their main concern, while 42% in the Global South cited it as their main concern.
