What Makes a City Truly Livable?
Is it the transportation, green spaces, art scene, or nightlife? The beauty, sense of community, or the diversity and inclusion it promotes? One could argue that all these factors are crucial, but there's one that stands above all others – our happiness.
We could bet that a happy city is probably an excellent city – and that's why Time Out asked 18,500 residents from various cities to share what brings them the most joy in the places they live. More specifically, they were asked to respond to statements like: "I feel happier in my city than in other places I've lived," "People in my city seem positive," "I find joy in the everyday experiences my city offers," "The feeling of happiness in my city has been increasing recently," and, overall, "My city makes me happy."
Based on the responses, we compiled a list of the happiest cities in the world, as well as a summary of the European urban centers where residents are most likely to smile from ear to ear. And the city leading this ranking (taking the ninth spot in the world list) is – dramatic pause – Seville!
Seville Leads Happiness on the Continent
Why? Well, 86% of surveyed residents stated they find joy in everyday life and feel their neighbors are positive people, while 74% acknowledged that the feeling of happiness has been growing recently. In total, an impressive 91% of Sevillians said their city makes them happy.
But Seville is far from the only happy place to live in Spain. Valencia comes in fourth place and Madrid in tenth, although perhaps the most curious data from the study comes from Bilbao, ranked seventh. One hundred percent of surveyed residents from the Basque city stated they feel happier in Bilbao than anywhere else. It must be because of the pintxos.
The United Kingdom also performed very well, with two English cities and two Scottish cities appearing in the European top 10.
Photo: Arlindo Camacho
The final two positions went to Portugal, with Porto taking 3rd place and Lisbon in 8th place. This means that the happiest cities in Europe are concentrated in the same three countries.
The 10 Happiest Cities in Europe, According to Their Residents
- Seville
- Brighton
- Porto
- Valencia
- Glasgow
- London
- Bilbao
- Lisbon
- Edinburgh
- Madrid
Latest Travel News from Time Out
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