Singapore was the happiest country in Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to the *World Happiness Report 2022*, released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) on Friday, March 18th.
The SDSN measured the happiness index based on psychological surveys of citizens in each country. The survey results were then combined with an analysis of objective indicators, such as per capita income, health conditions, and corruption levels in each region.
Based on these indicators, Singapore was recorded as the happiest country in Southeast Asia during the 2019-2021 period, with a score of 6.480. This score also placed Singapore as the 27th happiest country out of 146 surveyed countries.
Here is a breakdown of the happiness index of Southeast Asian countries and their global rankings:
1. Singapore: 6.480 (27th globally)
2. Philippines: 5.904 (60th globally)
3. Thailand: 5.891 (61st globally)
4. Malaysia: 5.711 (70th globally)
5. Vietnam: 5.485 (77th globally)
6. Indonesia: 5.240 (87th globally)
7. Laos: 5.140 (95th globally)
8. Cambodia: 4.640 (114th globally)
9. Myanmar: 4.394 (126th globally)
Globally, the top 5 countries with the highest happiness index are from Europe: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
The only non-European countries in the top 10 are Israel and New Zealand.