Happy City Index 2025: Singapore ranks as the third happiest city in the world, first in Asia

Time Out

15-05-2025

If there's one thing we know about our fellow Singaporeans, it's that we don't hold back when it comes to voicing our displeasure – and the recent Singapore General Election period just further proved that. Many everyday folk have spoken out about issues like housing and cost of living – all very valid concerns – and talked about the future with a certain sense of resignation. But polling season or otherwise, one might consider Singapore a rather unhappy nation just based on the sort of commentary circulating on social media on a day-to-day basis.
A new Happy City Index for 2025 seems to suggest otherwise, though. Created by the Institute for Quality of Life, this list scores a total of 200 cities across the world against six benchmarks: Citizens, based on education, inclusivity, and quality of life; Governance, for urban management and citizen participation in decision-making; Environment, with regards to sustainability practices; Economy, based on GDP and growth; Health, in terms of living conditions and physical and mental wellness; and Mobility, which is related to public transport infrastructure.
Based on the total scores for the above, Singapore ranks third globally as one of the 30 'Gold' happiest cities in the world, just behind Copenhagen (#1) and Zurich (#2). This is a marked improvement from last year's ranking in the same Happy City Index, where our Little Red Dot scored 34th globally.
Unsurprisingly, plenty of European cities – especially Nordic ones – populate the top few spots. The only other Asian cities on the Gold list are Seoul (#6), and Taipei (#8), which thus also means that Singapore is the happiest city in Asia. Well, allegedly.
While factors like a strong economy, good healthcare, and advanced infrastructure do undeniably improve a country's standard of living, this may not necessarily equate to actual happiness levels – especially for the sandwich class, or the low-income who are struggling to make ends meet. Plus, a high standard of living and a wide income divide aren't mutually exclusive.
To our island city's credit, however, we do have plenty of scenic nature spots, amazing restaurants as well as hawker centres, places of attraction like museums and two of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Our high levels of safety and well-connected public transport system are not to be taken for granted either. On many counts, we're definitely blessed to live in a country as beautiful, clean and developed as Singapore.
But what do you think – are Singaporeans truly happy? We can't answer that on behalf of everyone, but we'd like to think that there's always happiness to be found in the little things when the big things feel tough. It could even be something as simple as a free date idea, which can trump the fancy gestures if done right. In the meantime, here's a look at how we fare in this happiness index against others, with those in Asia marked in bold.
Gold Happiest Cities in 2025:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Zurich, Switzerland
Singapore
Aarhus, Denmark
Antwerp, Belgium
Seoul, South Korea
Stockholm, Sweden
Taipei, Taiwan
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Vancouver, Canada
Vienna, Austria
Paris, France
Helsinki, Finland
Aalborg, Denmark
Berlin, Germany
New York, United States of America
Dresden, Germany
Brussels, Belgium
Geneva, Switzerland
Porto, Portugal
Barcelona, Spain
Oslo, Norway
Dublin, Ireland
Milan, Italy
Roskilde, Denmark
Reykjavik, Iceland
Auckland, New Zealand
Adelaide, Australia
Minneapolis, United States of America
London, United Kingdom
Check out the full list of cities ranked in this year's Happy City Index, including Silver and Bronze cities.