Taiwan Tops as Asia’s Happiest Country in 2025, According to World Happiness Report
Taiwan has officially claimed the title of the happiest place in Asia, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report — marking a significant rise in global rankings and reshaping the region’s happiness landscape.
Taiwan has officially claimed the title of the happiest place in Asia, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report — marking a significant rise in global rankings and reshaping the region’s happiness landscape.
Taiwan Surges to the Top Spot in Asia
Climbing from 31st place last year to an impressive 27th globally, Taiwan dethroned Singapore to become Asia's happiest destination. This self-ruled island, while politically complex due to Beijing’s territorial claims, stands out for its thriving society, resilience, and strong sense of community — key factors contributing to its rise in happiness.
Globally, Nordic nations continue to dominate the leaderboard, with Finland securing the top spot for an eighth consecutive year, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
The Science Behind the Happiness Rankings
The World Happiness Report is backed by extensive research from leading experts in well-being studies, utilizing data from the Gallup World Poll collected between 2022 and 2024. The ranking hinges on individuals’ self-assessed life satisfaction, paired with six key factors:
- Gross domestic product per capita
- Social support
- Healthy life expectancy
- Freedom
- Generosity
- Perception of corruption
While the rankings reflect personal life evaluations, these six elements provide a deeper understanding of why certain nations excel in fostering happiness.
Top 10 Happiest Places in Asia for 2025
The latest report spotlights the happiest places across Asia:
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Japan
- Philippines
- Republic of Korea
- Malaysia
- China
- Mongolia
Why Taiwan Stands Out: The Power of Shared Meals
One surprising factor behind Taiwan’s happiness surge? Meal-sharing.
According to Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre and editor of the report, sharing meals plays a pivotal role in personal well-being — rivaling the impact of income and job status.
“Taiwanese people report having a high number of shared meals,” De Neve explained. On average, people in Taiwan share 10.1 meals out of 14 weekly, placing them 8th globally out of 142 countries for meal-sharing frequency.
In contrast, countries like Japan and South Korea report lower meal-sharing rates, likely influenced by rising single-person households and an aging population.
De Neve highlights how meal-sharing fosters trust and social bonding, calling for a return to communal dining:
"In this era of social isolation and political polarization, we need to find ways to bring people around the table again — doing so is critical for our individual and collective well-being."
Vietnam’s Rise: Asia’s New Happiness Contender
Another standout in this year’s report is Vietnam, leaping from 54th to 46th globally — a remarkable 40-place jump since 2020. This rapid ascent reflects the country’s growing economic strength, improved social support, and an increasingly positive outlook among its citizens.
