Hey Google, play “Lonely” by Akon.
It’s not been a great week for Ireland when it comes to winning somewhat bleak awards. Our capital has ranked as the 9th most expensive city in Europe (and 38th worldwide), and now we’ve achieved (if one can call it that) the top spot for loneliest country.
Lovely news. While we can’t say we were surprised by the Dublin statistic, Ireland being the loneliest country in Europe does make us feel a bit sad.
Loneliness prevalence differs across countries, according to the EU-LS 2022 survey; this can be attributed to cultural differences as well as demographic differences and sampling differences. This same survey found loneliness is most prevalent in Ireland, with over 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely.
Other countries in Europe such as Luxemburg, Bulgaria and Greece also report high loneliness levels. The lowest levels are observed in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia, and Austria, all with less than 10% of respondents reporting loneliness.
Now if we could just win a more positive award that would be great. Maybe for best looking population, or surely having the most craic.
Header image via Getty
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