What is the happiest city in the world?
Asked by: Kari Donnelly | Last update: May 7, 2026Score: 4.5/5 (30 votes)
Copenhagen, Denmark, is frequently named the world's happiest city by various reports, including the 2025 Happy City Index, due to strong scores in innovation, education, governance, health, and green mobility, alongside a great work-life balance. Other top contenders often include Zurich, Singapore, and Aarhus, though rankings vary slightly based on different methodologies.
What is the world's happiest city?
Copenhagen has an impressive résumé when it comes to high-quality living. This year, the Happy City Index ranked Copenhagen as the world's happiest city, based on factors like health, mobility, and environment. Plus, the World Happiness Report named Denmark the second-happiest country in 2025.
What is the #1 happiest country in the world?
Finland is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world, holding the top spot for eight consecutive years as of the 2025 World Happiness Report, followed closely by other Nordic nations like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. This ranking reflects high life satisfaction, strong social support, trust, freedom, and connection to nature.
What is the #1 best city to live in?
There's no single "number one" city, as it depends on priorities (global vs. U.S., big city vs. suburb, affordability vs. lifestyle); however, Copenhagen, Denmark often tops global lists for livability (EIU), while Oklahoma City or Naperville, IL, might rank high in U.S. rankings by U.S. News or Niche for affordability/quality of life, with other strong contenders including Vienna, Austria, and Melbourne, Australia globally, and San Diego, CA, or Pittsburgh, PA, in the U.S.
Which US city has the highest quality of life?
Top U.S. cities for quality of life often include suburbs near major hubs like Boston (Brookline, Newton) and the Twin Cities (Woodbury, Plymouth), along with California cities (Pleasanton, San Ramon) and tech-focused areas (Redmond, WA), praised for strong economies, good schools, safety, and healthcare, though affordability can vary significantly by location, with cities like Ann Arbor, MI, also ranking highly for overall well-being.
10 HAPPIEST Cities in the World
What state is #1 in quality of life?
There isn't one single answer, as different studies rank states differently, but Vermont, Massachusetts, and Utah frequently appear at the top for quality of life, with Vermont often cited for its environment and health, Massachusetts for healthcare and education, and Utah for overall performance, though rankings shift based on criteria like economy, health, education, and safety.
What's the least happiest state?
Hawaii is the happiest state in the country, while West Virginia is the least-happy, according to a Sept. 8 report from WalletHub. To create the ranking, WalletHub drew on publicly available data from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC.
What's the safest big city in America?
Key Findings. San Jose is the safest major city. San Jose ranked among the top 10 for every safety metric considered. Relative to its adult population, San Jose had the third fewest violent crimes (5,185 total) and fifth fewest property crimes (25,715).
What is the most unhappy country in the world?
Among 146 countries ranked by the report, Afghanistan scores the lowest point of 2.523 and was ranked as the least 'happy' country in the world in 2022.
What is the most loved country in the world?
A new WorldAtlas ranking puts Canada at number 1 on the list of the top 20 most loved countries on the planet, ahead of every U.S. and European destination.
Which is the luckiest country?
Finland has been ranked as the world's happiest country for the eighth successive year, with experts citing access to nature and a strong welfare system as factors.
What is the top 1 city in the world?
There's no single "number one city," as rankings vary by criteria, but London, Paris, and New York City consistently rank at the top across different reports for 2024-2026, with London often cited for its strong economy and culture (Euromonitor, World's Best Cities Report), Paris for tourism and attractiveness (Euromonitor), and New York for economic power and global influence (Oxford Economics, Kearney).
What is the safest and happiest place on Earth?
Finland is the world's happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report, offering retirees (and others) peace, safety, and balance.
What are the 5 unhappiest states in the US?
The Top 5 happiest states in the U.S. are: Hawaii, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey and Connecticut. The 5 LEAST happy states in the U.S. are: West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Alaska.
What is the hardest U.S. state to live in?
There's no single "hardest" state, but studies frequently rank New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas as the toughest due to high poverty, poor education, and crime rates, while Tennessee and Alabama are flagged for quality-of-life issues like crime or lack of inclusivity, and Alaska presents extreme costs and remoteness, making the "hardest" state subjective and dependent on what challenges one finds most difficult.
What is the kindest state in the USA?
While rankings vary by study, Minnesota frequently appears as the friendliest U.S. state, known for "Minnesota nice," with Tennessee, South Carolina, and Texas also consistently ranking high in friendliness surveys, often citing Southern hospitality. Hawaii and Wyoming are also praised for their welcoming communities and residents.
Which U.S. state has the most depression?
The saddest states in the U.S., often indicated by high rates of depression, poor well-being, and economic struggles, consistently include West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama, with other states like Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Oregon also appearing in top rankings. These states often face challenges such as poverty, limited access to mental healthcare, unemployment, and high rates of chronic diseases, contributing to lower overall happiness and higher reported depression levels.
Which state is the cheapest to live in?
Mississippi is consistently ranked as the cheapest state to live in the U.S., primarily due to extremely low housing costs, affordable groceries, and low transportation expenses, with other affordable contenders often including West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missouri. These states offer a lower cost of living index (below the national average of 100) driven by cheaper housing and everyday goods, though wages can sometimes be lower than the national average.
Which state has the best weather?
What state has the best weather? California is known for having some of the best weather, with large cities like San Diego and Santa Barbara having little rainfall along with warm weather between 60 and 85 degrees.
What is the #1 state to raise a family?
Massachusetts ranked as the best state to raise a family, buoyed by strong job security, low poverty rates, and high household incomes. While housing and child care costs are higher than average, the state scores highly on health and safety, with low infant mortality, high life expectancy, and low crime.
What is the least desirable city to live in?
Washington, D.C. holds the unwanted title of “most undesirable city” for the third year running, with 28% of Americans including it in their top five worst places to live. Traffic, high housing costs, and overcrowding all contribute to its poor reputation.
What is the funnest city to live in?
The most fun cities
- Chicago, 60.1 points. ...
- Melbourne, 59.3 points. ...
- Lisbon, 55.6 points. ...
- New York, 53.3 points. ...
- Madrid, 51.4 points. ...
- Mexico City, 50.8 points. ...
- Sâo Paulo, 50.7 points. ...
- Los Angeles, 48.4 points.
What city is best to start a new life?
The best cities to start over offer a mix of strong job markets, affordability, and quality of life, with top contenders often including Raleigh, NC; Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Oklahoma City, OK; and Salt Lake City, UT for economic opportunities, while cities like Wilmington, NC, shine for overall fresh starts, and some locations offer relocation incentives like Topeka, KS. Consider cities with diverse economies (Dallas, Houston) for stability or vibrant scenes (Nashville, Denver) for lifestyle, depending on your goals.