In some countries, far more people consider friends very important than in others

This chart shows the share of people who consider friendships “very important” in their lives.

There are clear differences between countries: Northern Ireland (70%) and Sweden (65%) rank highest, and the United States (51%) and Indonesia (42%) are near the middle. In comparison, in Peru (17%) and Myanmar (12%), smaller shares of the population say that friendship is very important to them.

These differences suggest that the value people assign to different relationships varies significantly across cultures. In some societies, friendships might hold a central role in everyday life, whereas in others, people might place greater importance on family, work, or personal independence.

It's worth keeping in mind that such surveys don't only capture people's different views on friendship but also how they communicate their views when asked in surveys. For example, in some countries, people might be quicker to call something very important than in others.

Explore more data on the importance of friendships →

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Our World in Data. “In some countries, far more people consider friends very important than in others” by Simon van Teutem, published by Our World in Data under CC BY 4.0. Changed here: set as a page, its interactive charts shown as pictures. Data from third parties keeps its own licence.

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