Bulgarians were the unhappiest nation in the European Union in 2022, according to the new EU Happiness Index. The rating scale used in the Eurostat survey ranges from 0, indicating absolute dissatisfaction with life, to 10, indicating that things couldn't be better. Bulgaria is the only country in the 27-nation European Union whose citizens scored less than 6 (5.3) for their overall satisfaction with life. Germany is the second least happy country (6.5). 

Austria tops the list of the EU's happiest nations and, not for the first time, people there gave a happiness score of 7.9, close to the 8 mark. The two runners-up in the top three, Romania (7.3) and Poland (7.8), are among the countries traditionally considered to be poorer. The study therefore suggests that money is not the most important measure of happiness.