Singapore and Thailand have been identified as among the 'least miserable' economies globally, according to an annual index from Johns Hopkins University. Professor Steve Hanke's Misery Index assesses a country's economic temperature and how citizens experience it. Southeast Asia, overall, was noted as one of the world's healthiest economic regions in the 2025 report.

Singapore and Thailand ranked among the world’s “least miserable” economies in an annual index compiled by a Johns Hopkins University economist, who said Southeast Asia was one of the “healthiest economic neighbourhoods” in the world. The 2025 Hanke’s Annual Misery Index (HAMI), compiled by applied economics professor Steve Hanke, measures the “economic temperature” of a country and seeks to approximate how its average citizen experiences the economy. This year’s HAMI found that several...