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World’s top 10 happiest cities in 2025: Europe dominates, 3 Asian cities ranked; here is where India stands

World top 10 happiest cities in 2025 list: European cities, including two from Denmark, take seven of the top 10 spots in the 2025 Happy City Index.

World top 10 happiest cities in 2025: Discover the world’s top 10 happiest cities in 2025. See which European and Asian cities lead the list and where India ranks among global cities.

World top 10 happiest cities in 2025: What makes a city happy? Beyond personal connections with friends and family, a city’s environment, governance, and infrastructure shape overall well-being. The happiest cities are those that nurture residents while attracting visitors.

Unsurprisingly, Denmark leads the list again. Copenhagen has been ranked the world’s happiest city in 2025 by the Institute for Quality of Life’s Happy City Index, with an overall score of 1,039 points.

The city’s exceptional environmental performance (192) and strong citizen engagement (237) placed it at the top.

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Aarhus, another Danish city, secured the #4 spot with a high citizen score (233), robust governance (173), and environmental initiatives (170).

European cities dominate the list, with Antwerp (Belgium) at #5 recording the highest citizen engagement overall, and Stockholm (Sweden) at #7 topping citizen participation with a score of 270.

Munich (Germany) and Rotterdam (Netherlands) also made it to the top 10.

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Asia finds representation through Singapore (#3), Seoul (#6), and Taipei (#8). Taipei stands out as the only city in the top 10 leading in governance.

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No city from the United States, the United Kingdom, or China made it to the top 10, though they rank well in the Global 200.

New York City is the highest-ranked US city at #17, London leads for the UK at #31, and Beijing tops China’s entries at #54.

Surprisingly, no Indian city features in the ranking of the happiest cities.

#2025 Happy City Index: Top 10 happiest cities in the world

Rank	City, Country	Total Score	Citizens	Governance	Environment	Economy	Health	Mobility
1	Copenhagen, Denmark	1039	237	177	192	182	149	101
2	Zurich, Switzerland	993	256	185	175	174	122	80
3	Singapore, Singapore	979	210	192	151	174	149	101
4	Aarhus, Denmark	958	233	173	170	143	145	95
5	Antwerp, Belgium	956	258	205	148	100	145	100
6	Seoul, South Korea	942	260	206	153	100	117	106
7	Stockholm, Sweden	941	270	183	143	111	136	98
8	Taipei, Taiwan	936	158	210	192	126	120	131
9	Munich, Germany	931	250	175	114	110	176	105
10	Rotterdam, Netherlands	920	192	166	188	65	176	106

*Slide left to check complete scores

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Source and Methodology: Institute for Quality Life: #2025 Happy City Index | The Institute for Quality of Life, via the Happy City Index, analyses these cities, considering six main themes: citizen engagement, governance, environmental quality, economic vitality, health, and mobility.

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Cherry Gupta

Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager – Content at The Indian Express. She leads the Top 10 section, curating list-based features on key national and international developments, and manages daily news content. She also produces SEO-driven articles and collaborates with the Lifestyle team to conduct interviews with notable artists and write workplace culture features. ... Read More