Happiness can mean different things to different people so how exactly do you measure it? The Happy City Index thinks it’s got the science down by assessing a few thousand quality-of-life factors to determine the world’s happiest cities. These were grouped into five categories that the study says directly impact happiness: citizens, governance, environment, economy, and mobility. If you’re looking to feel happier here in Australia, you’ll want to head to Brisbane. The third-largest city down under was ranked 21 on the list and was the only Australian city to make the top 25.
World’s Happiest Cities
The future Olympic host city is known for its sunny climate, proximity to heritage rainforests, blossoming food scene, and natural beauty. Melbourne was ranked 41 on the list, Perth at number 61, and Hobart was 87 on the list. Sydney did not crack the top 100 and ranked 116 on the list which assessed a total of 250 cities worldwide.
The Institute of Quality of Life’s 2024 Happy City Index ranked the top 37 cities under the ‘Gold’ category with Denmark’s Aarhus taking the top spot. Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich was number 2 on the list with Germany’s Berlin placed number 2. European cities continued their domination with Sweden’s Gothenburg and Amsterdam in Netherlands rounding out the top 5. Cities ranked between 38 and 100 were placed in the ‘Silver’ category whereas Sydney was ranked in the ‘Bronze’ category at number 116.
The study noted “that it was not fair to establish a single city leader” instead grouping cities into the Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories.
See the full list and read more about the methodology used here.