Singapore is the 34th happiest country in the world and second happiest in the Asian region, behind 25th-ranked Taiwan.

This is according to the 2019 World Happiness Report by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network issued on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

The report ranked the countries according to happiness-inducing factors.

These include GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, perception of freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

How Singapore fared

Singapore ranked first among all nations in the healthy life expectancy and absence of corruption categories.

However, it fared less well in categories such as social support (36th), perception of freedom (20th) and generosity (21st).

Malaysia is ranked 80th.

Finland is happiest

Finland is ranked the world’s happiest country for the second year in a row.

Finland’s happiness is derived mainly from its strong social support (second in the world), absence of corruption (fourth) and high perception of freedom (fifth).

The Scandinavian country has a strong social safety net, including a progressive, successful approach to ending homelessness.

It also has a high-quality education system, and its commitment to closing the gender gap is paying off.

With a population of slightly more than 5.5 million people, it’s the only country in the developed world where fathers spend more time with school-aged children than mothers.

The top 10 happiest countries are mostly European nations: Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Netherlands are the top five, followed by Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.

Economic growth doesn't make people happy

The United States dropped one place to 19th, while China is ranked 93rd.

India is in 140th spot despite its huge GDP growth in the last decade.

The report’s co-editor John F. Helliwell, a senior fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, said in a statement on the report: “High economic growth does not necessarily go along with improvements in happiness. Indeed, it can often come at the expense of people’s social connections and the happiness of their daily lives.”

Saddest countries

South Sudan, which gained independence only in 2011, is ranked least happiest among the 156 nations surveyed.

At the bottom are Central African Republic and Afghanistan.

Top 10 happiest countries:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Norway

4. Iceland

5. Netherlands

6. Switzerland

7. Sweden

8. New Zealand

9. Canada

10. Austria.

Top 10 happiest Asian territories:

25. Taiwan

34. Singapore

52. Thailand

67. Pakistan

69. Philippines

76. Hong Kong

80. Malaysia

83. Mongolia

92. Indonesia

93. China.

Top 10 least happiest countries:

1. South Sudan

2. Central African Republic

3. Afghanistan

4. Tanzania

5. Rwanda

6. Yemen

7. Malawi

8. Syria

9. Botswana

10. Haiti.