Is Eating Together the Reason Taiwan Ranks as the Happiest Country in East Asia?

According to the 2025 “World Happiness Report” released by the United Nations last month, Taiwan ranked 27th out of 147 countries and regions participating in the ranking, retaining the title of the champion of East Asia. Experts say that compared to residents of other East Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea, Taiwanese people tend to eat together more often, which is one of the reasons they feel happier.

The “World Happiness Report” released by the United Nations every March is based on parameters such as GDP levels, life expectancy, social freedom, and the Gallup World Poll, ranking approximately 150 countries.

In this year’s “World Happiness Report,” Finland once again ranked 1st, being recognized as the world’s happiest country for the eighth consecutive year since 2018. Taiwan climbed three spots to 27th place this year, ranking as the third in Asia, following Israel (8th globally) and the United Arab Emirates (or UAE, 21st globally). In East Asia, Taiwan maintains its position as the champion, surpassing Japan (55th globally) and South Korea (58th globally).

According to a report by CNBC, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University and editor of the 2025 “World Happiness Report,” mentioned that this year’s report urged them to examine factors beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth. It was found that sharing meals and trusting others can predict happiness better than expected.

The report highlighted that the impact of sharing meals on subjective well-being is “comparable to the effects of income and unemployment,” and those who frequently eat with others have significantly higher life satisfaction.

De Neve cited Taiwan as an example, stating that “Taiwanese people say they tend to eat together more often.”

On average, De Neve noted that Taiwanese people have 5.5 out of 7 dinners and 4.7 out of 7 lunches with others, totaling 10.1 out of 14 meals eaten with someone else, ranking them 8th globally in this aspect.

In contrast, the frequency of sharing meals is lower in other regions like South Asia and East Asia.

The report pointed out, “Previous research has found that the trend of eating alone is increasing in East Asian countries, particularly in Japan and South Korea, with the most commonly cited reasons being the rise of single-person households and aging populations.”

De Neve emphasized, “In this era of social isolation and political polarization, we need to find ways to get people back to the table – this is crucial for our personal and overall sense of well-being.”

Alberto Prati, Assistant Professor of Economics at University College London, who participated in compiling the 2025 “World Happiness Report,” stated on The Conversation’s website that they discovered a significant positive correlation between sharing meals and happiness almost universally across regions.

Prati mentioned that not only do countries where sharing meals is more common report higher levels of happiness, but this pattern also holds when comparing different residents living in the same country. In essence, individuals who share meals more often within the same country tend to have higher levels of happiness.

For social scientists, the frequency of shared meals can serve as an indicator of social connections – how people interact and bond with each other. Unlike subjective measures of social well-being, the frequency of shared meals provides a tangible metric for their analysis.

While interpretations of friendships or views on intimate relationships may vary over time or across countries, the frequency of sharing meals remains consistent.

Despite potential differences in various aspects among individuals who share meals more often, the relationship between shared meals and happiness remains robust even after considering factors such as gender, age, income, living alone, and the ability to meet basic food needs.

Prati noted that solo dining is becoming increasingly common. For instance, he cited that compared to 2003, there has been a 90% increase in the likelihood that Americans aged 18 to 24 eat alone for every meal within a day.

Their findings also revealed that Americans who have at least one meal with someone else in a day experience higher levels of happiness, lower levels of stress, pain, and sadness.

In conclusion, in today’s world, loneliness is increasingly recognized as a public health issue. Rethinking how and how often we gather around the dining table may indeed be a practical solution to reduce social isolation and enhance happiness.

So, if you find yourself without lunch plans tomorrow, perhaps it’s an opportune time to text someone and express your desire to spend more time sharing a meal together.