The Philippines placed second among the happiest countries in Southeast Asia, next to Singapore, according to the annual World Happiness Report (WHR).

Meanwhile, the country jumped 23 spots from 76th last year, ranking 53rd out of 143 countries on the list of happiest countries in the world. Finland remained the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Israel.

The report noted Filipinos’ average life satisfaction scored 6.048 out of 10, which increased from its previous evaluation score of 5.523 in 2023. As for different age groups, the youth aged below 30 were found to be the happiest among Filipinos, with an evaluation score of 6.305.

The lower middle-aged group, or those aged 30 to 44, was least happy, almost the same as the upper middle-aged group, aged 45 to 59. On the other hand, Filipinos aged 60 and above attained an evaluation score of 5.976.

The Philippines was followed by Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia in the list of happiest countries in Southeast Asia.

The results of the WHR were obtained from life evaluation data collected across various countries from 2021 to 2023. This is a partnership of Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre.

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