Hongkongers are more miserable this year than they have been in years past. At least, that’s what the 2025 edition of the World Happiness Report says. The SAR ranked 88 among 147 other countries and regions, and was given a score of 5.491 based on how well it fared in terms of GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom, social support, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Hong Kong fared worse than last year, when the city placed 86th in the 2024 World Happiness Report.
The Happiest Places in the World in 2025
According to the UN report that was released on International Day of Happiness, Finland topped the list for the eighth year running, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden whose positions remain unchanged from 2024. No Asian country, region, or territory made it to the Top 20. Taiwan placed the highest at No. 27, with Singapore (No. 34), Vietnam (No. 46), and Thailand (No. 49) finding places in the Top 50. Neighbours Japan (No. 55), Philippines (No. 57), South Korea (No. 58), China (No. 68), and Indonesia (No. 83) figured among the Top 100.
How Kind are Hongkongers?
This year’s list also evaluated each entry on six measures of benevolence: acts like donating, helping strangers, and volunteering, and how often lost wallets were returned by a neighbour, stranger or the police. Based on this, Hongkongers ranked 43 when it comes to making donations — just behind Taiwan at No. 42 — and are most likely to get their wallets back from neighbours.
Hong Kong has been a mixed bag when it comes to international rankings of late. A recent study showed that 70% of Hongkongers don’t want to have children due to financial pressures, which is hardly surprising, considering that Hong Kong is the fifth most expensive city in the world. However, the SAR is the fourth best city in the Asia-Pacific region and is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
Image credits: chromatograph via Unsplash
