Philippines inches up to 56th in global happiness index

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES climbed one spot to 56^th in an annual survey that measures peoples’ level of happiness globally, but analysts said the ranking does not capture the social and economic pressures that Filipinos face today.

In the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the Philippines ranked 56^th out of 147 countries, a slight improvement from its 57^th rank last year. The country had an average life evaluation score of 6.206 out of a possible 10, higher than the 6.107 score in 2025.

Among its Southeast Asian peers, the Philippines emerged as the fourth happiest country, only behind Singapore (36^th), Vietnam (45^th), Thailand (52^nd), and ahead of Malaysia (71^st), Indonesia (87^th), Laos (92^nd), Cambodia (121^st), and Myanmar (129^th).

The annual report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Finland (with a score of 7.764) was the happiest country in the world in its ninth straight year, followed by Iceland (ranking 2^nd, with a score of 7.540), Denmark (3^rd, 7.539), Costa Rica (4^th, 7.439), Sweden (5^th, 7.255), Norway (6^th, 7.242), the Netherlands (7^th, 7.223), Israel (8^th, 7.187), Luxembourg (9^th, 7.063), and Switzerland (10^th, 7.018).

Meanwhile, the unhappiest countries in the world are Afghanistan (ranking 147^th, with a score of 1.446); Sierra Leone (146^th, 3.251); Malawi (145^th, 3.284), Zimbabwe (144^th, 3.346); and Botswana (143^rd, 3.464).

The countries were ranked according to their self-assessed life evaluations averaged over a three-year period of 2023 to 2025.

To determine the ranking, the Gallup World Poll asked 1,000 respondents per country to evaluate their current life using the image of a ladder — with the best possible life for them as a 10 and the worst possible as a zero.

The research also looked into six factors — gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, social support, generosity, freedom, and perceptions of corruption.

FILIPINO RESILIENCE
The slight improvement in the Philippines’ happiness index could be linked to “resilient” household conditions, supported by stable inflation and remittance inflows, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Senior Research Fellow John Paolo R. Rivera said.

However, these do not reflect ongoing pressures that Filipinos face, such as the high living costs and job security.

“While Filipinos report high well-being, many still face cost of living pressures, job insecurity, and uneven income growth,” he said in a Viber message.

Jose Enrique A. Africa, executive director of think tank IBON Foundation, said the slight improvement in the Philippines’ happiness index could only reflect marginal survey variation rather than domestic improvement.

“The slight improvement likely just indicates how Filipino families and communities confront significant economic pressures. Strong kinship networks and community support mechanisms in play, as the last-resort welfare systems of most Filipinos,” he said in a Viber message.

Mr. Africa cited the Philippine government’s role in ensuring Filipinos’ happiness and well-being through improved public services, social protection, and job security.

“More than resiliency, national industrialization and rural progress are the most important economic foundations to keep improving well-being,” he said.

Leonardo A. Lanzona, an economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, attributed Filipinos’ continued optimism to its religious upbringing.

“Happiness may be ingrained but improved well-being measured in terms of longer life expectancy can be crucial. Compared to other countries, our access to better health and education facilities needs to be raised,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Without these, reported happiness is just Filipinos adapting to hardships and doesn’t reflect genuine economic security,” Mr. Africa said.