London (TDI): Central Asian nations have emerged as standouts in the World Happiness Report 2025, with Kazakhstan leading the region thanks to its strong sense of community and trust.
Published by the Oxford Wellbeing Centre, the report ranked Kazakhstan 43rd worldwide, the highest among Central Asian states. The country performed particularly well in areas such as social support, trust in others, and freedom of choice, earning an overall score of 6.38 out of 10.
The annual report assesses countries across six key dimensions of well-being: income, social support, healthy life expectancy, personal freedom, generosity, and perceived corruption levels.
Kazakhstan’s top marks came in honesty and social trust, ranking 30th globally for returning a lost wallet to a neighbor and 42nd for returning it to a stranger.
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Following closely, Uzbekistan secured 53rd place with a score of 6.2, standing out for its high levels of charitable giving (29th) and public trust in law enforcement (19th). Kyrgyzstan, placed 75th with 5.9 points, was noted as the region’s leader in helping strangers, while Tajikistan ranked 90th with 5.4 points, making the global top four for volunteering, a testament to its deep-rooted traditions of mutual support.
The report underlines that Central Asia consistently records some of the world’s highest levels of kindness and mutual aid, with the region’s mutual aid index ranging from 0.30 to 0.36, compared to the global average of 0.33.
“Despite economic disparities, Central Asian societies remain bound by strong communal values,” the study observed. “Helping others and participating in collective life continue to define happiness in the region.”
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According to researchers, happiness depends more on trust, personal stability, and freedom than on income alone. In this sense, Central Asia exemplifies a “warm social climate”, where everyday kindness and cooperation help counterbalance economic challenges.
On the global scale, Finland once again topped the happiness rankings, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. At the bottom were Sierra Leone (146th) and Afghanistan (147th), where citizens continue to report the lowest levels of well-being.
