Ho Ching shares post ranking Singapore as 48th out of top 50 countries with the friendliest people

SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching has shared a post on social media claiming that Singapore has taken the 48th spot in a list of the top 50 countries with the friendliest people.

The list, posted by a Facebook page focused on visa sponsorships and job opportunities, is topped by Canada. Portugal, Bhutan, Mexico, Pakistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia and the Philippines round out the top ten, while Malaysia was ranked 47 out of 50, just one spot above Singapore.

The basis for this ranking is currently unclear. The Facebook page behind the list has not provided any detailed methodology or criteria for how the rankings were determined. This has led to skepticism and curiosity among Singaporeans about the accuracy and credibility of the rankings.

While Mdm Ho shared the list without comment, the post has sparked a variety of reactions from Singaporeans, many of whom have expressed doubts about the list’s validity. Some have questioned the source and methodology, while others have pointed out that metrics such as “friendliness” can be highly subjective and difficult to quantify accurately.

In contrast to the Facebook list, Singapore has performed better in other global rankings. In the US News & World Report’s index of the friendliest countries, Singapore was ranked 18th out of 87 nations. Malaysia, in this report, was ranked 30th.

Singapore took the 43rd spot in World Population Review’s Friendliest Countries of 2024 list. Malaysia was ranked much higher, taking the 14th position.

As the skepticism online continues, many are calling for more transparent and robust methods for evaluating national characteristics to provide a clearer and more reliable picture.

TISG/