Revealed: World’s happiest cities for 2025 ranked in new global index

The latest rankings have been announced and you might be surprised at the result. In fact, you could feel a little sad.

Happiness is apparently the abiding emotion for Danes.

Copenhagen has been named as the happiest city in the world in 2025 by (what else but?) The Happy City Index. The Danish capital surpassed other top contenders such as Zurich, Singapore, and Aarhus (also in Denmark), with its high ranking attributed to strong performances “in areas like environment, citizens, and conomy”. So there you go.

I’m not suggesting such surveys are made up, but Switzerland and Singapore must feel, well, less happy these days, or perhaps even a tad sad about being runners-up. Australia doesn’t even get a look-in, until Adelaide pops up with a smile at No. 29.

I visited Copenhagen for the first time a few weeks ago and, as I often feel when encountering a brilliant new (to me) destination, it felt so fresh and fabulously energetic. The canals were thronged with pleasure craft and working barges on a clear-sky weekend, the terraces of restaurants looked filled to capacity, and opportunistic seagulls predictably hovered.

At that stage, I didn’t know of its happiness status, but everything seemed remarkably cheery, despite the late onset of spring. But it was blinking cold, actually, so maybe a survey needs to be published on which cities meet seasonal expectations. Can you imagine the chaos and stress of that particular undertaking?

Antwerp in Belgium also ranked highly in the happiness stakes.

I have no credible explanation as to why I would have ignored Denmark until now. And I have to admit equal ignorance of Sweden, Norway and Estonia, also visited and much enjoyed and admired on this recent trip. But I am not alone in my compelling instincts to go back to places that have stolen my heart. I have friends who return year after year, like lemmings, to known and cherished destinations and make no excuses for such fidelity.

They like the feeling of belonging, however temporarily, and the few, if any, annoying changes they might find are generally bearable. Except when beloved attractions, such as produce markets and city squares, start to disappear, replaced by high-rise developments and oddly unattractive observation towers. Here’s looking at you, southern Europe.

As for that nifty term “bucket list”, we’ve had our fill of that, surely. A fellow traveller, eschewing the term “revenge tourism”, even as she spends her hard-earned superannuation funds, tells me it’s now known in her circles as a “f..k-it list” and she’s determined to spend down to her last dollar. I don’t mind that idea, actually, but curiosity must continue to be the prevailing factor. The urge to travel is primeval but the clock is ticking.

Watch out, I’m coming for you, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Brussels, Porto and Reykjavik. You all made the 2025 Happy City Index list and you’d better be glad to see me.

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