The State of Happiness in 2025
South Korea Ranks 58th... Lower than Taiwan and Japan
Finland has ranked first for the eighth consecutive year in the subjective happiness scores where people rate their overall quality of life. South Korea ranked 58th out of 147 countries, dropping six places from last year.
The State of Happiness in 2025
On the 19th (local time), the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, Gallup, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published the "World Happiness Report 2025" (WHR) and announced the happiness rankings by country. This is based on Gallup surveys from 2022 to 2024 and the 2019 Global Risk Survey.
The top spot went to Finland with a happiness score of 7.736, making it the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year. Denmark (7.521) ranked second, Iceland (7.515) third, and Sweden (7.345) fourth, with Nordic countries occupying high positions.
Other European countries also dominated the top ranks, including the Netherlands (5th, 7.306), Norway (7th, 7.262), Luxembourg (9th, 7.122), Switzerland (13th, 6.935), Belgium (14th, 6.910), Ireland (15th, 6.889), Lithuania (16th, 6.829), and Austria (17th, 6.810).
The United States, which experienced a significant decline, fell to 24th place (6.728), its lowest ranking since the survey began in 2012. Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia for over three years, ranked 111th (4.680), while Russia was placed 66th (5.945).
South Korea Ranks 58th... Lower than Taiwan and Japan
South Korea ranked 58th (6.038), dropping six places from last year’s 52nd. In the 2023 report, South Korea was 57th, 59th in 2022, and 62nd in 2021. In Asia, it ranked third after Taiwan (6.669) and Japan (6.147).
Notably, South Korea, along with the United States, was cited as a case where suicide rates due to despair have significantly increased. The report noted, "In most countries, deaths from despair increased due to alcohol consumption among older men," and "In the US, Canada, and the UK, drug abuse among men aged 30 to 59 was the main cause." It further pointed out, "In South Korea, suicides increased mainly among men aged 60 and over, raising the overall figures."
The report attributed the rise in deaths from despair in the US and South Korea to a decline in 'prosocial behavior.' Prosocial behavior has decreased over time in both countries. Conversely, Finland, where the rate of deaths from despair has decreased, showed an increasing trend in prosocial behavior.
The researchers emphasized that this year they focused particularly on the impact of care and sharing on people's happiness, discovering that trust in others' kindness is much more closely linked to happiness than commonly believed. They also pointed out that in a more compassionate society, those who benefit the most are the least happy individuals within that society.
The researchers additionally noted that people who frequently eat with others tend to be happier. The increase in people eating alone is one of the reasons for the decline in happiness scores in the United States. In East Asian countries, especially South Korea and Japan, the rise in single-person households and population aging has led to more people eating alone, the researchers explained.
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