The Philippines recorded the highest level of worker stress among Southeast Asian countries in 2026, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace 2026 report. The findings place the country ahead of Myanmar and Singapore, while Indonesia and Vietnam reported the lowest levels of workplace stress in the region.
The report, released in April 2026, is based on the Gallup World Poll conducted between January and December 2025. It surveyed employed people aged 15 and above across more than 160 countries to assess their daily emotional experiences at work.
Gallup found that 50% of workers in the Philippines said they had experienced a great deal of stress during the previous day, making it the highest proportion in ASEAN.
Philippines Tops ASEAN Worker Stress Rankings
The survey measures stress based on the percentage of respondents who reported experiencing “a lot of stress” on the previous day. Gallup uses this indicator to better understand workers’ day-to-day emotional wellbeing.
Across Southeast Asia, the average level of worker stress remains lower than the global average. Around 25% of workers in the region reported experiencing significant stress, compared with 40% globally.
The report also found that 19% of respondents across Southeast Asia experienced anger, 21% felt sadness, and 19% reported feeling lonely.
Gallup noted, “low stress levels are one of Southeast Asia’s key strengths compared with many other regions.”
However, the organisation also cautioned against interpreting lower stress levels as evidence of better working conditions.
Gallup said, “Low stress levels do not necessarily reflect an ideal quality of work life.”
The report explained that several factors can influence survey results, including job security, income levels, working hours, and cultural differences in how people express emotions.
ASEAN Worker Stress Rankings 2026
Based on the State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, the percentage of workers who experienced significant stress during the previous day is as follows:
- Philippines 50%
- Myanmar 47%
- Singapore 43%
- Cambodia 34%
- Laos 26%
- Thailand 25%
- Malaysia 20%
- Indonesia 14%
- Vietnam 13%
The results show a wide gap across the region. While one in every two Filipino workers reported high levels of stress, only 13% of workers in Vietnam and 14% in Indonesia reported the same experience.
How Gallup Conducted the Survey
Gallup interviewed approximately 1,000 respondents in each country, selected at random to represent national populations. To improve reliability and ensure that the findings accurately reflect long-term trends, the organisation calculates country-level results using the combined average of surveys conducted over three years.
The report covers workers from more than 160 countries and territories, providing one of the world’s largest assessments of employee wellbeing.
Although the findings highlight differences in workers’ emotional experiences across ASEAN, Gallup emphasises that stress levels alone do not provide a complete picture of workplace quality.
