Singapore ranked happiest country in Asia, so please smile

Saturday, April 25, 2015
Rachel Tan
The Straits Times

IT IS a topic that has occasionally raised eyebrows here, but now the frowns are giving way to smiles.

Singapore has just been named one of the 25 happiest nations in the world, and the happiest in Asia, in the 2015 World Happiness Report.

This is a far cry from the glum picture painted by some past surveys. A poll conducted in 2011 by research firm Gallup showed that Singaporeans were the least likely to experience positive emotions out of people in 148 countries.

But as far as the wide-ranging study by the United Nations is concerned, Singapore has continued to become a happier place. In 2012, when the first in the series of UN surveys was released, Singapore was ranked 36th out of nearly 130 nations. In 2013, it rose to 30th place and is now No. 24 out of 158 nations.

The largest contributing factor to Singapore's high ranking in the report is its gross domestic product per capita, which was $71,318 last year.

Other indicators used to determine happiness levels are life expectancy, freedom to make choices and available social support.

Not all surveys tell the same story. In 2012, the Happy Planet Index placed Singapore 90th out of 151 countries, behind countries such as Syria and Libya.

National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan said measuring Singapore's happiness is a subjective matter.

"If you look at the progress of the state, it has moved to a better place. We don't have turbulence like other countries, and there is strong trust in the Government."

But she said Singaporeans could be frustrated about living in a place with high population density and work stress.