Sydney ranked third worst city in the world for making friends

Sydney, it’s time to start cracking a few more smiles, because this latest poll has cast a pretty uninviting take on Australia’s Harbour City.

Sydneysiders, it’s time to pop on a smile.

According to a new ranking from the latest Time Out Index, despite having the beauty of Bondi and some of the best bars and restaurants in the country, we are a pretty unfriendly bunch – and even when compared on the global stage.

According to the survey, out of the 53 world cities it compared, Sydney came in as the third-worst on the planet for making new friends.

Sydney isn’t where it’s at if you want to make a friend. Picture: NCA NewsWire/James Gourley

According to the survey, three-quarters of respondents said trying to make a friend in the Harbour City was near impossible, while 71 per cent said finding a hook-up was just as difficult.

And in a triple whammy for Australia’s Harbour City, it appears our night-life (or lack thereof) is still failing to impress on the world’s stage.

For a second year running, Sydney ranked as having the second-worst night-life in the world however it’s one up from being dead-last, a title the city received in 2021.

But if there’s any form of silver lining, it’s that while Sydney is considered dead, and pretty bitter about it too, there are still two other cities worse than us on the friend-making front.

Coming in as second-worst was the Danish capital Copenhagen, while the world’s worst place for making new mates was just next door, in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

The Index is Time Out’s annual survey of all things urban culture, drawing on the answers of nearly 30,000 people all over the world quizzed about highs and lows of life in the city.

Coastal Aussie city ‘one of the greatest’

Meanwhile, one Aussie city that hasn’t fall flat on the world stage is the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia. It has been named as “one of the greatest places of 2022” by a prominent international magazine.

Don’t be fooled by the wave, Copenhagen has been labelled as one of the most unfriendly cities in the world.

And Stockholm might be great for flatpack furniture and ABBA songs, but it is the worst place in the world to find a new BFF.

Leading US magazine Time has named the “bustling” city among its list of 50 must-visit regions for international travellers.

Fremantle, 20km southwest of Perth, is listed alongside destinations such as Bali, Toronto, Seoul and Miami.

Just two Aussie hotspots were highlighted, with Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef joining the WA seaside spot on the list.

Fremantle was named the best location to “eat, drink and be Aussie”.

The publication said Fremantle’s food scene was the driving force behind the city being singled out.

“After nearly 700 days of pandemic shutdown, the Australian port city of Fremantle is bustling with food and drink openings,” Time wrote.

“The district includes ironically named FOMO’s hawker-style food stalls serving pho, ramen, kebabs, burgers and even fried ice cream, and Funlab offers an array of, well, fun: bowling, minigolf, arcade games and cocktails.”

Maybe Sydney could learn a thing or two from the west.