We’ve all felt stress at some point or another. We typically think of it as a personal feeling. But stress can affect entire countries and in some cases, women in those countries are hit the hardest.
In 2013, Bloomberg wanted to learn which countries across the globe were the most stressed. Researchers analyzed different variables in 74 countries: annual homicide rate, GDP per capita, income inequality, corruption, unemployment, health care quality, suicide rates and air pollution wrote the Richest.com.
The results revealed the 10 most stressed countries in the world:
10) Bolivia
InsiderMonkey.com wrote, “With a population of more than 10.67 million people, 64 percent of Bolivians live below the poverty line.”
Add to that, Bolivia’s unsteady government. The country’s constitution has been rewritten numerous times and its people have lived through nearly 200 government overthrows.
9) Macedonia
The country has a black eye when it comes to human rights, specifically when it comes to race and ethnic discrimination. Macedonia also has big problems with domestic abuse and sex trafficking.
8) Jamaica
It’s not all peaceful on the island. Crime levels, drug trafficking and gang wars are rampant. Plus it has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
7) Pakistan
Pakistanis face political instability, terrorism and widespread poverty. InsiderMonkey.com reported that “poverty has increased from 30 to 40 percent over the last ten years.”
6) Colombia
Poverty has hit Colombia hard. InsiderMonkey.com wrote, it “affects 46 percent of the total population; specifically 64 percent who live in rural areas.”
5) Guatemala
Income inequality between rich and poor continues to grow. In addition, Guatemalans have been witnesses to extreme violence, gangs and drug trafficking throughout the country’s recent history.
4) Mongolia
Mongolians live with high poverty levels and overpopulation. Plus their country now has high levels of air pollution and the rates of suicide have dramatically increased.
3) El Salvador
The nation faces problems with violence, poverty, immigration and human rights. So much so that more and more El Salvadorians emigrate every day to escape the stress, troubles and danger of their daily lives.
2) South Africa
Until 1994, apartheid rule caused mass stress across the nation. Democracy is now thriving, but tensions between the black and white populations still exist. The economy declined in 2009 and South Africa is still dealing with mass unemployment and substantial poverty.
In addition, Time.com reported that “a 2011 Nielsen study showed that 64 percent of South African women feel stressed most of the time.”
1) Nigeria
Nigeria ranks as number one on the list. As the eighth most populous country in the world, InsiderMonkey.com wrote, “Nigeria has mass poverty and unemployment with more than 60 percent living below the poverty line. Up to five million Nigerians live with HIV or AIDS.”
In addition, Nigerians face extreme religious conflict between Muslims and Christians, a highly corrupt government, mass deforestation and water pollution.
The Nielsen study, wrote Time.com, “revealed that 58 percent Nigerian women feel continually stressed.”
Sources:
Goldstein, Rachel. "Study: Indian Women Are the Most Stressed on Earth | TIME.com." NewsFeed Study Indian Women Are the Most Stressed on Earth Comments. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/13/study-for-women-india-is-the-most-stressful-country-on-earth
Rollandi, Isabel. "The 10 Most Stressed Out Countries in the World." Insider Monkey Free Hedge Fund and Insider Trading Data RSS. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/the-10-most-stressed-out-countries-in-the-world-334492
"The 10 Most Stressed Out Countries in the World." TheRichest. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/poorest-list/the-10-most-stressed-out-countries-in-the-world/?view=all
Reviewed December 11, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith