Metro Manila residents were the least happy among all geographic areas surveyed, with only 24 percent reporting they were “very happy” — the lowest rate across all regions — while also posting the highest share of unhappy respondents at 21 percent, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released ahead of International Day of Happiness.
The poll, conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults from November 24 to 30, 2025, found that 33 percent of Filipinos described themselves as “very happy,” while half said they were “fairly happy.” Fifteen percent said they were “not very happy” and two percent said they were “not at all happy.”
The Visayas posted the strongest happiness figures nationally, with four in ten respondents — 40 percent — saying they were “very happy.” Mindanao followed at 34 percent, then Luzon areas outside Metro Manila at 32 percent.
On life satisfaction, 28 percent of respondents said they were “very satisfied,” 51 percent were “fairly satisfied,” 14 percent were “not very satisfied,” and seven percent were “not at all satisfied.” The Visayas again led regionally at 35 percent “very satisfied,” while Metro Manila and Balance Luzon were tied at 27 percent each, and Mindanao came in at 25 percent.
The 33 percent “very happy” figure was broadly consistent with 31 percent recorded in March 2025 and 34 percent in December 2024, but marked a notable drop from 43 percent in December 2023. The satisfaction numbers followed a similar pattern — 28 percent now, compared to 30 percent in March 2025, 31 percent in December 2024, and 38 percent two years prior.
The survey also found that respondents who had not experienced involuntary hunger in the three months before the poll reported higher happiness and satisfaction levels. Those who felt their quality of life had improved over the past year, or who expected conditions to get better in the next 12 months, were similarly more likely to report positive outcomes.
