The 2023 World Happiness Report: An Asia-Pacific Perspective

The 11th edition of the World Happiness Report (WHR) was released on Monday, March 20, 2023, the International Day of Happiness. First published in 2012, the annual report reflects a growing worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and wellbeing as criteria for government policy. It reviews the state of happiness in the world today and shows how wellbeing science explains personal and national variations in happiness.

While New Zealand and Australia ranked 10th and 12th, respectively, they were the only countries in the Asia-Pacific region to make the Top 20. However, Asia boasts a robust history of philosophy and policy that prize human wellbeing, such as Bhutan’s revolutionary Gross National Happiness Index or Bali’s Tri Hita Karana. The release of WHR 2023, therefore, presented a perfect opportunity to engage with regional players with unique perspectives on happiness and wellbeing.

On March 23, 2023, to mark the publication of WHR 2023 and celebrate the International Day of Happiness, SDSN hosted a webinar to explore happiness and wellbeing from various perspectives within the Asia-Pacific, reflect on Asian countries’ 2023 rankings, and discuss the future for happiness in the region.

Speakers:
- Dr Shun Wang, Senior Associate Professor, International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, and Editor, WHR (Moderator)
- Prof Thakur S. Powdyel, Former Minister of Education, Royal Government of Bhutan
- Ms Nimas Mega Purnamasari, Director, UID Bali Campus, United in Diversity Indonesia
- Ms YEONG Pey Jung, Research Projects Advisor & Senior Analyst, Socio-Economics & Statistics Programme, Penang Institute, Malaysia
- Prof Arthur Grimes, Chair of Wellbeing and Public Policy, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand