Taiwan tops Asia's happiness index

The simple act of sharing meals around a table has emerged as a significant indicator of happiness, with Taiwan claiming the title of Asia’s happiest nation in 2025, according to the World Happiness Report 2025.

Taiwan has been ranked the happiest place in Asia, according to the World Happiness Report 2025.

Out of 147 countries and territories surveyed this year, Taiwan secured 27th position globally, a notable rise from 31st last year, and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s most contented nation.

The report also acknowledges Taiwan's status as a self-governing democratic island, a point of contention with China, which maintains its territorial claims.

               Asia’s Happiest Nations 2025 are:

• Taiwan
• Singapore
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Japan
• Philippines
• South Korea
• Malaysia
• China
• Mongolia
   

 Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and editor of the World Happiness Report 2025, emphasises that factors beyond traditional metrics like income and health, such as communal dining and interpersonal trust, significantly influence well-being.

Gallup data supports this, revealing that sharing meals has a comparable impact on happiness to income and employment stability. Individuals who regularly dine with others report higher life satisfaction than those who eat alone.

“In an age marked by growing social isolation and political polarisation, fostering communal dining is crucial,” De Neve states. “Bringing people back to the dining table is essential for both individual and societal happiness.”

Taiwanese culture demonstrates a strong propensity for shared meals. On average:

• 5.5 out of 7 dinners are shared.
• 4.7 out of 7 lunches are shared.
• This results in 10.1 out of 14 meals shared, placing Taiwan 8th globally out of 142 surveyed nations.

But while Taiwan celebrates communal dining, the report highlights a growing trend of solitary eating in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea. This is largely attributed to the increase in single-person households and ageing populations.

The report also acknowledges potential regional differences in survey interpretation, noting that individuals in East and Southeast Asia may not classify family members or housemates as “people they know.”

Among Asian happiness nations, Vietnam has achieved a significant improvement in its happiness ranking, moving from 54th in 2024 to 46th this year. Over the past five years, Vietnam has climbed nearly 40 places, from 83rd in 2020 to 46th in 2025, marking one of the world’s most rapid increases in reported happiness.