'Why not number 1?' Singapore's 27th position on World Happiness Report draws mixed reactions

Are Singaporeans happy?

Well, life here doesn't seem to be too shabby, judging by comments from Reddit users on the latest 2022 World Happiness Report.

In that report released last Friday (March 18), Singapore was ranked the 27th happiest nation in the world, just behind Taiwan.

The happiest country according to the report is Finland, which also topped the list last year. 

It's an improvement to say the least as Singapore was ranked the 32nd happiest country in the world, according to the same report in 2021. 

Singapore's result from that report was posted on a Reddit thread last Saturday, garnering a variety of reactions from users. 

Surprisingly, some were satisfied with the results, listing the reasons why Singaporeans generally have little to complain about their lives. 

Others, however, didn't seem to think that 27th place was good enough for our Little Red Dot. 

One user questioned: "Why not number one?"

That user also cheekily suggested a rather Singaporean way of moving up the rankings — by using tuition as a gauge. 

Our own ranking aside, some users also questioned why Taiwan was listed as a "province of China" in the report. 

The Happiness World Report surveys some 1,000 people from each country.

Respondents are asked to evaluate and rate their current life on a scale of zero to 10, with the best possible life at 10, and zero for the worst possible life. 

Six factors are used to explain the ratings, namely, GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com