Happiness falls, isolation deepens among South Koreans

A new study finds South Koreans are becoming less happy and more socially isolated. The annual report Korean Perceptions of Social Issues 2025, published by the nonprofit Center for Social Value Enhancement Studies under SK Group and the research firm TripleLight, showed the average happiness score fell to 6.34 out of 10 this year, down from 6.54 last year. The share of respondents who said they “have no one to rely on” more than doubled, rising to 9.8 percent from 4.1 percent a year earlier.

Researchers attributed the decline to a “negative transfer” effect, suggesting that prolonged low growth and economic hardship have taken a toll on people’s psychological well-being. Based on a survey conducted in May, the report shows that even as the economy entered a recovery phase in the second quarter, anxiety over economic uncertainty remained high. The national economy received a rating of 3.89 out of 10, the lowest since the survey began in 2020. While evaluations of household finances improved from a year earlier, only 39.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as middle class, well below official data showing a 59.3 percent middle-class share.

Still, economic factors alone cannot fully explain the decline in happiness or the rise in social isolation. For several years, South Korea has ranked near the bottom in happiness and near the top in social isolation among the 38 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The country also has the highest suicide rate per 100,000 people in the OECD, and deaths of people living alone continue to rise. The rapid increase in single-person households, driven by population aging, combined with intense competition and growing inequality, appears closely linked to a decline in quality of life.

The survey also found that social problems, such as economic stagnation and unstable housing prices, affect quality of life as much as purely economic concerns. Notably, the severity ranking for “ideological, regional, and political conflicts” rose from 19th place six years ago to fourth this year. The timing of the survey, conducted during impeachment proceedings and an early presidential election, likely influenced the result.

To address these challenges, the report calls for expanding economic and social participation opportunities across all age groups, reducing political divisions that erode social capital, and strengthening social safety nets that provide emotional and material support during times of hardship. The report concludes that only then can South Korea overcome the paradox of disconnection in a hyperconnected society.