Australia is (almost) the world's happiest place to live abroad in 2025 – here's why
Happiness is one of those things that's incredibly hard to measure. Our moods vary daily, even hourly, with no two people experiencing the same highs and lows. Thus, ranking a country on its happiness level is no easy task. That hasn't stopped anyone from trying, though. Earlier this year, Australia landed 11th in the World Happiness Report and Adelaide cracked the top 30 in the Happy City Index. Now, a fresh study has ranked the happiest places to live for people moving abroad – and we're chuffed with Australia's placement.
The 2025 ranking by William Russell combined data from both the World Happiness Index and the Happy City Index with factors like quality of life, GDP per capita and average life expectancy considered. We were pretty pleased to see Australia land second on the overall ranking – making it one of the happiest countries for expats to live, just behind Switzerland.
Despite missing out on first place, Australia managed to climb two spots from fourth in 2024. So, why is Australia such a happy place for expats? Let's start with our culture. The researchers called out Australia's strong mix of migrant and Indigenous influences, which fosters a diverse, inclusive community where newcomers can feel right at home. They also praised our 'work hard, play hard' mentality, backed by our generous working conditions, where full-time employees get four weeks of paid leave annually.
Australia consistently ranks near the top of the leaderboards for quality of life, life satisfaction, life expectancy and GDP per capita. And while our cost of living is higher than in other countries, we more than make up for it in unforgettable adventures. The researchers said: 'With so much to see and do, from surfing on Bondi Beach to exploring the outback, Australia offers everything an intrepid expat could ever ask for.'
So, if you're hoping to escape any seasonal depression, Australia seems like the place to be – and we've rounded up the best cities to move to here.
These are the 5 happiest countries for expats in 2025
Switzerland
Australia
Sweden
Norway
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
The Last Journey: behind the scenes of the feel-good film of the summer
When Filip Hammar was growing up in Köping, a Swedish town less than two hours' drive from Stockholm, his father Lars's obsession with France was an acute source of embarrassment. 'It was a very working-class town – they manufacture Volvo cars there – and this guy is sitting round wearing a beret,' recalls 50-year-old Hammar, who, with his friend Fredrik Wikingsson, 51, is one half of Sweden's best-known double-act, presenters of TV documentaries, quiz shows and podcasts. 'Now, I look back and think, 'Wow, that took a lot of courage!'' Every summer throughout Filip's childhood, Lars, a school teacher, would drive the family in his orange Renault 4 to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera, a journey of 1,450 miles. 'He was such a Francophile that when France did nuclear tests in Polynesia in the 1980s, the local newspaper called and asked if he was going to stop teaching French and drinking French wine.' In 2008, after 40 years of teaching, Lars retired, aged 66. He had been looking forward to this new phase of life: he and his wife, Tiina, could now travel to France as often as they wished; it would be his troisième âge. It didn't turn out that way. Without his job, Lars lost his spark; the school had been his stage, and the performance was over. Although medical tests found nothing wrong physically, he took to spending his days slumped in his armchair, as if waiting for the end to come. Something had to be done. So Filip came up with a plan, a road trip to reinvigorate his father, destination: Beaulieu-sur-Mer. He tracked down a vintage Renault, identical to the old family car, and roped in Fredrik – as well as a tiny film crew, so that the nostalgic journey could be documented. Lars, then aged 80 and armed with a French dictionary and a big fat book about Charles de Gaulle, was installed in the passenger seat, with Filip taking the wheel, and long-legged Fredrik crammed into the back seat, and off they went. When the film of their adventure, The Last Journey, was released in Sweden last year, it quickly became Scandinavia's highest-grossing documentary of all time. Now, this funny, life-affirming film is coming to British cinemas, which is how I come to find myself in London's Soho Hotel, asking Filip and Fredrik how Lars is handling his late-life fame. 'He said, 'I wish I was a little bit younger, a bit less frail, so I could enjoy the success more,'' replies Filip. 'But he gets so many lovely letters and emails from people who've seen the film, and Facebook messages from ex-students. I think he loves it.' There were points in the filming when this happy ending seemed far from assured. Only a couple of days into the journey, in Malmö, Lars fell, cracking a bone in his leg and requiring hospitalisation: it looked as if the whole trip was off. Instead, Filip and Fredrik decided to drive the ancient Renault ('Europe's most overtaken car', as Fredrik calls it) across Denmark, Germany and Belgium, where they were reunited with Lars, who had travelled there by train with Tiina, after being discharged from hospital. The documentary captures the playful, staged moment when the two friends plant Lars behind the wheel and push the Renault 4 over the border into France, a smile of sheer delight breaking across his face. His troisième âge had begun. 'Conventionally, you're not supposed to stage stuff in a documentary,' says Filip, who resists the idea that non-fiction films should maintain a po-faced, unmanipulated, 'fly-on-the-wall aesthetic'. Fredrik tells a story about the great German director Werner Herzog giving a talk to a class of film students. After one of them asked him if he'd ever staged something in any of his documentaries, 'Herzog said, 'Everyone who thinks a documentary needs to be straight up and fly-on-the-wall, raise your hand.' And everybody raised their hands. Then he said, 'Happy New Year, losers!' and left the room.' In The Last Journey, we see Filip ask his father what he used to love most about France. Lars thinks for a minute. 'It was great to meet people who don't stop at stop signs,' he says. 'Every Frenchman is his own president.' He also mentions that he used to enjoy seeing how the French would argue in traffic, which prompts Fredrik to visit a local casting agency, hire a couple of actors and stage a minor road-rage incident for the unwitting Lars. The following day, Filip takes his father to a roadside café for lunch, while Fredrik hides around the corner, directing proceedings via a walkie-talkie. ('Car number one – go! Car number two – go!') One of the actors pulls up in front of the café, blocking the road with his car; when a second actor drives up, an argument breaks out that ends with someone getting slapped. Lars watches, entranced, mouth slightly open, from his ringside seat at the café. I ask Fredrik when they broke it to Lars that the whole scene had been orchestrated. 'He was at a screening, two weeks before the premiere,' he says, 'and I suddenly realised we'd forgotten to tell him. When he was watching it and realised it was a set-up, he just turned to me with a lovely smile and said, 'You bastards.'' Filip laughs. 'He's always been a good sport.' The French trip functions as what Fredrik calls a sort of 'reverse bucket list' for Lars; repeating the same experiences he'd already ticked off decades before. They stay in the apartment where the family always used to go, enjoying the same old view from its balcony, and take trips to all the familiar haunts: the cemetery at Sète where Lars's hero the singer-songwriter Georges Brassens is buried; the beach; the market; the posh restaurants, where Filip now has to help his frail father keep the food on his fork and raise his wine glass high enough to swallow. 'And, in the editing, we realised that these almost desperate attempts to recreate the past also said so much about what Filip wants out of this,' says Fredrik. 'It's a metaphor for what he is trying to do, to recreate what was before.' And this is perhaps the film's most poignant aspect: Filip's desperation for his elderly father to enjoy life as he used to causes Lars in turn to feel sad that he is no longer living up to his son's expectations, that he is somehow disappointing him. It is Filip, it seems, who is in denial about ageing, not Lars. That realisation lands with unexpected emotional force. The process of making The Last Journey also led Filip to question his father's long-held view of France. While the country was always a source of happiness for Lars, 'I sometimes think, does France deserve all this love? We screened the film in Paris the other night, and it went down well, but to the French, it's like, 'You don't have to tell us that our country's great; we know!' I love France, but I also detest that self-congratulatory aura that almost every Frenchman has.' 'They take it for granted,' adds Fredrik, before admitting, slightly sheepishly, that he owns a second home in France. 'I love the weather, but the people..? The local baker treats me like s--- every morning.' The Last Journey is not the first time that Filip has turned the camera on his family. In 2007, he and Fredrik made an acclaimed series about Filip's sister Linda, who has a learning disability: I en annan del av Köping (In another part of Köping), which ran for four seasons. 'She was living in a home with three male friends, also learning disabled, and when you hung out with them, they were so funny, it was almost like Seinfeld,' Filip tells me. 'The first episode opened with her saying, 'Uh-oh, I've been unfaithful again...' and that set the tone for the series. It was not what people would expect.' The show was so popular that, for a while, Linda became a national celebrity. 'At one point, she was voted 'Woman of the Year' in Sweden. Ahead of the queen! 'For some reason, I tend to explore my family and my hometown in our work – it must be a kind of therapy, or a way of dealing with weirdness,' he says. 'But I have said to Fred, 'By the way, whenever you want to do something about your family, I would be open to that...'' 'They're not charismatic enough!' replies Fredrik. 'That's the harsh truth. They're so low-key.' 'But there is a sort of inverted charisma vibe to your parents,' says Filip, kindly. 'You'd have to dig really, really deep,' concedes Fredrik. When The Last Journey came out in Scandinavia, the scale of its success took both men by surprise. 'It had more admissions than Dune: Part Two, which had a huge marketing budget,' points out Fredrik. 'God, we're so boastful. There have been several successful documentaries in Sweden in recent years: one about the ex-prime minister Olof Palme; one about Ingrid Bergman; one about the footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. And one is about a teacher from a small town: my dad. He beat them all.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Marcus Rashford 'grows close to glamorous blonde semi-pro padel player' as pair enjoy St Tropez trip
Marcus Rashford has reportedly 'grown close' to semi-pro padel player Jaki Palm, sources claim. The padel player, 23, who showed off her inked shoulder and braided hair, was pictured with the footballer on a luxury trip in St Tropez with friends last week. The Manchester United star, 27, is said to have connected with the Swedish beauty - who is based in Dubai - when he visited in April. A source told The Sun: 'Marcus went to have rehab for a hamstring injury in Dubai and was introduced to Jaki. 'She then joined him with his mates and another woman in St Tropez for a holiday. It's all very casual but Jaki has told her friends she's grown close to him. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The padel player, who showed off her inked shoulder and braided hair, was pictured with the footballer on a luxury trip in St Tropez with friends last week 'She's being very coy about it. But Marcus is playing the field like young men his age. He is just having fun in the Premier League off-season and he's had a rough time with his hamstring so to see him having a laugh is what the doctor ordered.' MailOnline has contacted Marcus and Jaki's representatives for comment. Jaki, who boasts over 20,000 followers on both of her Instagram accounts, often shares sexy selfies and videos of her playing padel. Padel, a cross between tennis and squash, is one of the world's fastest-growing racket sports. While enjoying some downtime in St Tropez last week, Marcus continued to raise the stakes in the style department, sporting an outfit worth an estimated £340,000. He wore a two-piece Louis Vuitton monogram set worth £2,690, and the highly coveted Nike's Ben & Jerry's x Dunk Low SB trainers, as well as a watch on each wrist. On his left wrist Marcus appeared to be wearing a Patek Philippe Aquanaut, a timepiece that is listed at an eye-watering £295,895 on a website that specialises in luxury watches. The Rolex watch on his right arm was estimated to have cost around £40,000. Marcus was last linked to influencer and Love Island star Grace Jackson (pictured last week), with the pair thought to have dated after her first stint on the ITV reality show last summer Marcus was last linked to influencer and Love Island star Grace Jackson, with the pair thought to have dated after her first stint on the ITV reality show last summer. But Jackson shed light on the brief coupling during her return to primetime on Love Island: All Stars at the end of last year, saying that she had been inundated with messages from Man United fans shortly after they were linked. 'No we were out in a group having food,' Jackson told her co-star Olivia Hawkins. 'We weren't dating but we was chatting a little and texting. 'It's difficult because he can't go out and just go on a normal date. All these f*****g United fans were like commenting, thousands of comments on my pictures like, 'cause they loved me. 'When the article came out he scored two goals and he hadn't scored for like ages, so they said "You fixed him!"' 'If it would have been a bit different, because he couldn't really date so he'd be like "I wanna see you, just come to mine and chill with me" but I'm like, '"I don't really wanna".' Grace went onto add that things 'got weird' between her and Marcus given the attention on their romance, saying: 'It just changed the vibe a bit, because everyone knew and there wasn't anything to know.' Marcus was previously involved in a long-term, on-and-off romance with his childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi. The couple split for the last time in the summer of 2023. Rashford's French getaway will likely prove a welcome oasis for the England international amid a potentially tumultuous summer.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Legendary metal band shock fans as member exits after seven years
MUSIC fans have been left reeling following one member's shock departure from a legendary metal band. Supporters of the group are in shock after the drummer downed his sticks and walked away just days before their massive European tour. 5 5 In Flames announced the news on the band's social media accounts, telling fans they had "parted ways" with Tanner Wayne. In a statement released on Instagram, In Flames said: "It is with profound gratitude and and appreciation that we announce our creative decision to part ways with Tanner Wayne. "His dedication and musicianship over the past several years has left, and will continue to leave, a lasting mark on this band. "We wish him nothing but the best." The Swedish band, which was formed 35 years ago, concluded: "We appreciate your support and understanding at this time and hope to see you all on tour this summer." Tanner, 37, joined In Flames in July 2018 when he replaced drummer Joe Rickard. The US musician had begun his drumming career in the hardcore punk band Underminded in 2006, but only featured on one album. He went on to drum for Chiodos and Suicide Silence before his seven-year stint with In Flames. Tanner's shock exit from the band came just days before they kicked off their European tour in Estonia. For the next month, the group - consisting of Björn Gelotte, Anders Fridén, Chris Broderick and Liam Wilson - will be performing across central Europe, eventually wrapping up Sweden. But despite Tanner walking away, the shows will go on. In Flames has already recruited a new drummer who accompanied them on their opening night in Tallin, Estonia, on Monday. Jon Rice has stepped in for the band's high profile tour and appears to have slotted right in. Alongside a photo of himself playing on stage, Jon wrote on Instagram: "Show #1 done. Thank you for the warm welcome, Tallinn. "And thank you to @inflames for having me and trusting me with your tunes." In Flames was originally formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg out of the Swedish death metal scene in 1990. The lineup has changed multiple times over the past three decades, however vocalist Anders Fridén and guitarist Björn Gelotte have remained consistent since 1995. 5 5
