Jakarta. Indonesia ranked 83rd in the 2025 World Happiness Report released Thursday 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.

Singapore emerged as the happiest country in Southeast Asia, securing the 34th spot globally. Vietnam followed at 46th, its highest ranking ever, up from 54th in 2024. Thailand ranked 49th, while the Philippines and Malaysia placed 57th and 64th, respectively.

Globally, the ten happiest countries in 2025 are Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico. Finland retained the top position for the seventh consecutive year.

The Nordic countries once again dominated the top rankings, with the report attributing their strong social trust and cohesion as key factors. “Our annual happiness ranking is, once again, led by Nordic countries, with Finland still first among them. The Nordic countries also rank among the top places for the expected and actual return of lost wallets,” the report stated.

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.

The United States fell to 24th, its lowest ranking since the report’s inception. A key factor cited was the rise in social isolation, with a 53 percent increase in individuals eating alone over the past two decades, contributing to loneliness and weakening social cohesion.

The United Kingdom ranked 23rd, its lowest since 2017, while Canada placed 18th after a decade-long decline in happiness.

At the bottom of the rankings, Afghanistan (147th), Sierra Leone (146th), and Lebanon (145th) remained the least happy countries, grappling with prolonged conflict, extreme poverty, and political instability.

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