KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 -- Malaysians generally are a happy bunch.

Southeast Asian countries were found to be the happiest in the world with Malaysia high up in the ranking that surveyed happiness among 30 countries, surpassing richer nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, according to a poll by marketing research firm Ipsos.

Up to 77 per cent of Malaysian respondents said they are happy in the company's annual 2024 global happiness index, a score that surpasses the global average. The 30-country average was 71 per cent.

The nation of 32 million was fourth on the list of Asian countries that are the happiest. India, still one of the world's poorest countries, took the top spot. Malaysia was below Indonesia which came in second a...