Singapore tops Asia in World Happiness Report 2024 rankings

Singapore has retained its position as the happiest country in Asia for the second consecutive year, according to the recently released World Happiness Report 2024. The city-state ranked 30th out of 143 surveyed countries globally but stood at the pinnacle in Asia, outshining its regional peers including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Thailand came in seventh in Asia and 58th in the world.

The World Happiness Report, a landmark survey of the state of global happiness, has been published annually since 2012. It aims to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by providing a comprehensive gauge of well-being that goes beyond economic measures such as GDP. The 2024 edition’s findings are based on the Gallup World Poll data and analysed by a team led by the University of Oxford.

Experts use a methodology that assesses happiness levels through six key variables: GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, personal freedom, generosity, and corruption levels. Singapore’s high ranking is attributed to its robust GDP per capita—one of the highest in the world—indicating a transparent government and lower levels of corruption compared to even Denmark or Norway, which are ranked higher overall.

Chun Wang, a contributor to the report, praised Singapore’s performance to CNBC, highlighting its impressive life expectancy and quality of life scores. However, the city-state received lower scores in areas such as social support, personal freedom, and generosity.

In contrast, countries in Asia that ranked lower in the report include Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The report rates the quality of life on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 representing the best possible life, reported Sanook.

Finland continues to lead the global happiness rankings with a score of 7.7, followed closely by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. At the bottom of the list are Afghanistan and Lebanon, with scores of 1.7 and 2.7, respectively. Thailand stands at 58th worldwide, scoring 5.9.