JAKARTA - A survey says Indonesians are the happiest people in the world. The results of this survey were quoted by President Prabowo Subianto in a National Christmas Celebration speech some time ago.
In his speech on January 5, 2026 at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Prabowo admitted that he was touched because in the midst of global uncertainty, Indonesia was claimed to be the happiest nation.
"From almost 200 countries. The country whose people, after being asked, answered that the people were experiencing, happy. The country that is number one in the world now, the people say, he is happy, is the Indonesian nation," said Prabowo.
"This is touching for me, because I understand that most of our people, in fact, still live a very, very simple life, which is in a state, we must admit, a state that is not really prosperous," he said.
The survey that Prabowo referred to was conducted by the Global Flourishing Study (GFS). In short, GFS is a global-scale longitudinal research study that aims to understand what makes individuals and communities able to flourish or flourish in the long term.
This study was conducted through a collaboration between the Human Flourishing Program (Harvard University) and the Institute for Studies of Religion (Baylor University), with technical and methodological support from Gallup and the Center for Open Science.
In the study, there were more than 200,000 participants from 22 countries representing geographic, cultural, and religious diversity, including Indonesia. Other participating countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as a number of other countries on various continents.
From the results of the survey, Indonesia occupies the top position with a total value of the Overall Flourishing Index of 8.47 (on a scale of 0-10) which means that the level of flourishing or well-being of the Indonesian people is in a very high category.
There are six dimensions measured in this study, namely happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose of life, character and policy, closeness of social relationships, and financial and material stability.
The survey, which involved 207,920 respondents aged 18 years and above, was released in April 2025.
In his speech, Prabowo Subianto admitted that he was surprised and touched to find Indonesia as the happiest nation. According to his claim, his government in the Red and White Cabinet worked very hard.
Strong Gotong Royong CultureSocial psychology researcher from the University of Indonesia (UI) Wawan Kurniawan said that the results of the GFS study at least showed that the Indonesian people feel prosperous not only because of their economic conditions. But because non-material dimensions such as the meaning of life, spirituality, and social support are still very strong.
The culture of family, mutual help, and diversity is still embedded in the lives of Indonesian people. So, even though they face a difficult economic challenge, Indonesians still feel that their lives are meaningful and worth living.
"In this context, feeling satisfied, grateful, and close social relationships seem to be more dominant in shaping the perception of well-being than objective economic indicators such as income or job stability," said Wawan.
Solidarity and social values, which are manifested through mutual cooperation, according to Rakhmat Hidayat, sociologist from the State University of Jakarta (UNJ) have been recognized by the international community. These values are continuously cared for, maintained, and guarded from generation to generation so that the culture of mutual help and mutual help remains.
Among the examples that show the thick culture of mutual help in Indonesian society occurred during the demonstration action in late August 2025, when the #wargajagawarga hashtag echoed on social media. In addition, there was also solidarity between residents and residents during flash floods and landslides in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh late last year.
However, Indonesia is in a lower position than 147 countries in the World Happiness Report 2025 report. Indonesia is ranked 83rd in the latest survey.
This survey was conducted by Gallup World Poll and Oxford, and there are several aspects that are included in the assessment, such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, and freedom to make life choices. In the survey, European countries such as Finland, Denmark, to Iceland ranked at the top with the highest level of happiness in life.
Wawan Kurniawan explained the difference in the results of the two surveys. This happened because each study used a different approach.
The World Happiness Report emphasizes structural aspects such as social systems and freedom. While the Harvard well-being study emphasizes psychological and existential aspects.
Therefore, developed countries excel in meeting material needs and public systems. But many of its citizens experience loneliness or a crisis of meaning in life. On the other hand, Indonesian society is able to find satisfaction in life from social relationships, meaning, and spirituality even though they live in economic constraints.
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