Recent Study Shows The 10 Loneliest Countries In The World : Here's Why American's Shouldn't Be Cheering

It's ironic isn't it. During this technological time where we are all so intertwined and connected, how could anyone feel alone? However more and more studies are proving that is exactly how a majority of us are feeling. I guess despite knowing what Suzie ate for lunch, and seeing all of Brenda's vacation photos plastered online, we are still craving connection. Deep, meaningful connection. However, loneliness appears to be felt differently throughout the world. Some countries don't seem to deal with it, while others are struggling. According to a recent study, these are the 10 loneliest countries in the world (ranked from least lonely to loneliest).

10. Latvia

Taking the number ten spot on the loneliest countries in the world list is Latvia. Apparently the largest chunk of lonely people in this country are unemployed women. The survey showed that 76% of people who reported feeling lonely were not working. Additionally, of all those who reported feeling lonely, 62% were female.

9. Bulgaria

80% of those who felt lonely in Bulgaria are no longer working. Additionally, 40% of the lonely individuals were suffering from multiple health complications. No reason to get out of bed in the morning and multiple ailments sounds like a recipe for sadness to me.

8. Romania

With a loneliness score of 1.2 Romania has earned a spot on the list. 86% of people who were lonely here were no longer working. Additionally, 57% of those who felt isolated were female.

7. Czech Republic

The Czech Republic being on the list of loneliest countries in the world surprised me. Nevertheless, they earned their spot. With a loneliness score of 1.2 a majority of people who feel isolated in this country are older and not working. The average age of individuals who claimed they felt isolated were 71. Additionally, the Czech Republic had a strong correlation between health and loneliness. With over 60% of those claiming they were lonely having issues with multi-morbidity.

6. Israel

59% of those who identified as lonely here were female. Additionally, about 72% of the lonely individuals in Israel were elderly and not working. Therefore the largest population of lonely people in Israel seem to be elderly women.

5.  United States

While I am thrilled that we are not in the top three, I am not happy to see that our country is in the top 5 loneliest countries in the world. It turns out that it is not just the elderly in our country that are feeling isolated either. Dr. Robin Richardson, a professor at Emory University —which conducted the study— argued we have a large population of lonely middle-aged people. She said, "There is a general perception that people get lonelier as they age, but the opposite is actually true in the US where middle-aged people are lonelier than older generations."

4. Italy

This one surprised me. After all when thinking of Italy I think of large families and incredible food. However, I guess large family doesn't mean you never feel alone. This country took the fourth spot with a loneliness score of 1.3. They also had a relatively high rate of probable depression. Furthermore 81% of those who felt lonely said they were not working.

3. Slovakia

Taking the third spot in the loneliest countries in the world list is Slovakia. With a loneliness score of 1.5 some trends about this country where that over 17% of those who reported feeling lonely were smokers. Additionally, around 62% of these individuals admitted that they were not working. Thus suggesting that the majority of lonely people in Slovakia are older.

2. Cyprus

Perhaps loneliness spreads as this country is neighbors with the loneliest country in the world. A majority of those who claimed to feel isolated in this country were not working. Additionally a large portion of them self-identified as having poor health, proving that your health has a correlation to your happiness level.

1. Greece

Greece took the number one spot as the loneliest county in the world. According to the data, the majority of individuals who were feeling isolated here were elderly individuals. Additionally, the data showed that a large portion of them were women.