Vietnam Ranks Second Happiest Country In Southeast Asia After Singapore – OpEd

Vietnam has climbed to the 46th position in the 2025 World Happiness Report, up eight places from the 2023 rankings, the VnExpress newspaper reported.

The latest report, released on March 20 by the Wellbeing Research Center at the Oxford University, ranks 143 countries and territories based on citizens’ self-reported well-being.

Vietnam’s steady progress in recent years has seen its position improve significantly, from 77th in 2021 to 65th in 2022 and 54th last year. The country now ranks second in Southeast Asia, behind only Singapore.

For the 8th consecutive year, Finland has been named the world’s happiest country, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.

Costa Rica and Mexico have entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking 6th and 10th, respectively.

The U.S., however, has fallen to the 24th place, its lowest position on record.

At the lower end of the rankings, Afghanistan remains at the bottom, following Sierra Leone and Lebanon.

The World Happiness Report is compiled in collaboration with the analytics firm Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The rankings are based on factors such as social support, life expectancy, economic stability, and levels of kindness within communities.

According to the Channel News Asia news website, in 2024, Singaporeans were less happy than the past few years.

According to the World Happiness Report the nation dropped four places to 34th in the global study released on March 20, which assessed the happiness index of 147 places around the world. 

Singapore’s current position – similar to its ranking in 2017 and 2018 – is the lowest since the first report was presented in 2012. 

In 2023, Singapore took the 30th spot, making it the happiest nation in Asia. 

This time, Singapore was dethroned by Taiwan, which is 27th on the list, said the study published by the University of Oxford, Gallup and the United Nations.

Assessments were made over a three-year average, and across six variables that include social support, GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perception of corruption.

Rankings were determined by more than 100,000 global respondents.

Among Southeast Asian nations, Thailand was at 49th, Philippines at 57th, Malaysia at 64th and Indonesia at 83rd. 

Most places in East Asia dropped in rankings. Japan ranked 55th, compared to 51st the year before; South Korea slipped from 52nd to 58th, while China came in at 68th, down from 60th.

The research found that sharing meals, trusting others and benevolent acts are strongly linked with wellbeing across all global regions.  

It also showed that elements outside economic factors, such as family bonds, social support and community, can contribute to happiness.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an editor of the report, pointed to Costa Rica and Mexico, which have achieved high rankings despite lower wealth compared to their counterparts in the top 10. 

“They do not necessarily have the high-income GDP per capita and the redistribution through the welfare state. What they do have … (are) very strong family ties, so their immediate community is very strong,” said the economics professor at the University of Oxford. 

However, the study also noted an increase in anxiety, worry and stress around the world. 

Additionally, it found that social disconnection is prevalent among young adults.

In 2023, 19 percent of youths across the world reported having no one that they could count on for social support, representing a 39 percent increase compared to 2006.

The nation also places 24th in terms of generosity, assessed by monthly charitable donations.

But Singapore’s ranking was dragged down by perceived social support and freedom, in which respondents could have felt they may not get as much help as they need from relatives or friends, and are also not as satisfied with the freedom of life choices.

According to the Jakarta Globe news website, Indonesia ranked 83rd in the 2025 World Happiness Report released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN), trailing several Southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The rankings are based on data from the Gallup World Poll, which surveys over 140 countries. Respondents assess their quality of life based on factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support, and perceptions of corruption.

Indonesia ranked first globally in generosity but placed 124th in corruption perception.

The lost wallet study highlighted the gap between people’s expectations and actual benevolence in society, indicating that pessimism about others’ goodwill negatively impacts overall life satisfaction.

“People are much too pessimistic about the benevolence of others. For example, when wallets were dropped in the street by researchers, the proportion of returned wallets was far higher than people expected. This is hugely encouraging,” the report stated.

The report also noted a decline in happiness across many Western industrialized nations compared to 2005–2010. The United States, Switzerland, and Canada recorded some of the steepest drops, placing them among the 15 biggest global losers in happiness rankings.