World Happiness Report 2025
The report identifies SIX KEY VARIABLES that explain most of the differences in happiness between countries: 1.GDP per capita, 2.Social support, 3.Healthy life expectancy, 4.Freedom to make life choices, 5.Generosity, and 6.Low perceptions of corruption.
Methodology:
Key Global Insights:
- Finland has held the title of the world’s happiest country for the eighth year in a row, with strong social support and trust playing a key role.
- Other Nordic countries, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, also rank highly, benefiting from similar strengths in their social systems and the trust people have in each other.
- The report points out that small actions, like sharing meals, helping others, volunteering, and donating, can make a big difference in boosting happiness for both the giver and the receiver.
- Trust and social connections are crucial for well-being and can even help lower the risk of “deaths of despair,” like suicide and deaths related to substance use.
- On the downside, youth loneliness is increasing, with nearly 1 in 5 young adults now saying they do not have enough social support, double the rate from 2006.
- The report also links lower happiness and trust to rising political polarization, as people with less trust are more likely to support extreme views.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. and U.K. have dropped in the rankings, while countries like Costa Rica, Mexico, Lithuania, and Slovenia have seen their happiness scores rise.
Focus on Myanmar:
In this 2025 Report, Myanmar is ranked 126th out of 147 countries for overall happiness, placing it as the lowest among the ASEAN nations included. Despite this overall ranking, Myanmar shows a significant strength in generosity, ranking 2nd globally. However, the report indicates lower scores for Myanmar in areas such as social support from family and friends, GDP per capita, and the freedom to make life choices.
Specific rankings for Myanmar on related indicators in the report include:
- Generosity (Donated): 2nd
- Volunteered: 48th
- Helped a stranger: 106th
- Neighbour (Social Support Indicator): 105th
- Wallet returned by stranger (Trust Indicator): 125th
- Police (Trust Indicator): 102nd
Limitations of the Methodology:
The World Happiness Report 2025 offers meaningful insights, but it has its limits. It relies on self-reported data like the Cantril Ladder, which can be shaped by culture and personal perception. It also focuses only on six factors while missing other important aspects such as mental health, relationship quality, inequality, etc. The report shows patterns/associations, not causes, so it cannot be said these variables directly cause happiness. There are also data challenges, including inconsistent sampling and cultural differences in how people respond.
To improve future studies, the authors recommend:
- Using broader measures including emotional well-being
- Adding more social and psychological variables
- Improving data quality and consistency
- Exploring how happiness is experienced across cultures
World Happiness Report 2025
University of Oxford: Wellbeing Research Centre.
ISBN 978-1-7348080-8-7
Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J. D., De Neve, J.-E., Aknin, L. B., & Wang, S. (Eds.). (2025). World Happiness Report 2025.
University of Oxford: Wellbeing Research Centre.
Hnin Ei Lwin
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