Global surveys measure life satisfaction by asking people to rate their lives on a ladder from 0 to 10, where 10 is the best possible life. Afghanistan consistently ranks at the bottom of these national averages. Decades of armed conflict, economic hardship and displacement have shaped daily life, and the economy contracted sharply after 2021. Survey averages reflect what people report about their own lives, shaped by income, security, health and social ties. The result is a stark reminder that national well-being depends heavily on conditions that people experience directly.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.