U.N.-backed report names Taiwan happiest place in East Asia

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Taiwan was the happiest place in East Asia in 2025, ranking 26th globally, according to the U.N.-backed World Happiness Report 2026 launched on Thursday.

Taiwan scored 6.714 out of 10 in the report, ahead of Singapore, which ranked 36th, Japan at 61st, China at 65th, South Korea at 67th and Hong Kong at 90th.

The rankings are based on the three-year average of individuals' self-reported well-being from 2023 to 2025, according to the report's website.

Among 147 countries and regions ranked by the index, Finland remained at the top for the ninth consecutive year with a score of 7.764.

Iceland ranked second with a score of 7.540, followed by Denmark (7.539), Costa Rica (7.439) and Sweden (7.255), closing out the top five.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an editor of the report and a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Oxford, said heavy social media use is associated with a marked decline in happiness, while those who do not use it may miss a certain positive influence.

The report is published by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup, the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network and its editorial board, according to the website.

The report, which debuted in 2012, is issued each year around March 20 to align with the International Day of Happiness.