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Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
The 9 European cities named among the best in the world for Gen Z to live in
Are you under 30 and with a serious case of European wanderlust? Well, Time Out surveyed 18,500 locals from across the world and consulted a panel of experts to find out which cities are the best of the best based on food, culture, green spaces, walkability and nightlife. But not every generation thinks the same, so we took those answers and sorted them by age to find out which cities are the most popular cities among their Gen-Z inhabitants. Bangkok claimed the worldwide crown, but our top 20 was dominated by hubs from all over Europe, with Copenhagen claiming first place. One of the happiest places on earth, according to the 2025 Happy City Index, Copenhagen received consistent high praise for safety, stability, education, public transport, health care and all around quality of life. No wonder 64 percent of Gen-Zers living there approve. There's loads to do, after all. It's Denmark's cultural hub with a plethora of museums, markets, castles and palaces housed in Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. There are also large parks like the King's Garden or Dyrehaven, a forest that's home to thousands of deer; a delicious food scene of seasonal Nordic cuisine (smørrebrød, anyone?), and a great bar scene, too. Second place is awarded to the Spain's second city, Barcelona. Who can resist the trippy Gaudi structures, hot, succulent tapas and overflowing sangria? Certainly not the 77 percent of Gen-Zers who rated the city in our survey. Barcelona is also one of the most diverse and inclusive places to live – the perfect foundation for twenty-somethings. Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, rings in third place. The historic capital won 95 percent of Gen-Z residents over with its fantastic green spaces and natural landscapes, as well as its walkability, which received an 89 percent approval rate. No surprise really, given it featured in out recent top-10 roundups of the best cities for walkability and green space, eh? Fancy a look at the rest of our list? Scroll on. Here are the top European cities for Gen-Z to live, according to Time Out Copenhagen, Denmark Barcelona, Spain Edinburgh, Scotland London, UK Paris, France Berlin, Germany Seville, Spain Prague, Czech Republic Lisbon, Portugal
CNBC
29-05-2025
- Health
- CNBC
This is the happiest city in the world, new data shows—it's not in the U.S.
In May, the Institute for the Quality of Life released its 2025 Happy City Index. The 200 cities in the report were separated into three groups: gold, silver, and bronze, with gold meaning those cities scored the highest across all metrics combined. To rank the world's happiest cities, researchers tracked 82 indicators of happiness across six major categories: 2025 is the first year the index included health as a category. It's something that Dr. Bartosz Bartoszewicz, Director and Co-creator of the Index, tells CNBC Make It was an important addition because of the covid-19 pandemic. "We've added health, and we didn't know what the results were going to be, and what was surprising is that most of the cities that were gold cities in the past remain," Dr. Bartoszewicz says. "It shows they are still developing in a sustainable way and that is great because it's not only about mobility or governance. It's about the whole structure of the city." The United States didn't have any cities rank in the top 10, but did have two get the "gold city" distinction: New York City at No. 17 and Minneapolis at No. 30. 18 U.S. cities were ranked and make up almost 10% off the entire index, which Dr. Bartoszewicz is still a good result. Copenhagen, Denmark, ranked No. 1 on the Happy City Index with a total score of 1,039. "What is amazing about Copenhagen? First of all, its ability to be open for innovation. Its educational system is of very good quality and it's affordable," Dr. Bartoszewicz says. Dr. Bartoszewicz adds that despite Copenhagen being ranked No. 1, it still has its issues, like housing. Apartment prices have doubled in the past 10 years, according to Boligsidens Markedsindeks, a Danish housing market portal. "Every city has its challenges but Copenhagen does a good job of not only confirming they have a problem but they are even listing them and telling people to join them in coming up with how to solve these problems," Dr. Bartoszewicz says. "Living in Copenhagen is still a challenge so even though it's first, they still have a lot of problems to solve." Denmark frequently ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world, so it's no surprise that its capital city took the top spot on this list. In 2024, the country the No. 2 happiest in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. Denmark is also the career opportunities, and work-life balance, according to a 2024 Expat Insider survey from InterNations, the online global community for people who've moved abroad. In Denmark, residents pay some of the world's highest taxes— up to half of their income — it is balanced out by the fact that most healthcare in the country is free, childcare is subsidized, university students pay no tuition and receive grants to help cover expenses while studying. For the second year in a row, Switzerland's largest city, Zurich, ranked No. 2 in the index with a score of 993. The city is a global financial hub that is renowned for its economic strength and high quality of life, according to the report. It scored highly in the categories of citizens and governance. "In Zurich, people have access to the best quality of education and a really strong economy. If you live in Zurich, your average income is much higher than the rest of the country. You're earning almost double what other cities in Switzerland do," Dr. Bartoszewicz says. Zurich is divided into 12 districts and was named the world's smartest city in 2024 for its innovative integration of new technologies. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked it the third most liveable city in 2024. The city is often referred to as the "City of Banks" due to its global financial reputation. It is also one of the most expensive places to live in the world. ,
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
New study says Vancouverites have every reason to be very happy
Despite what Vancouverites might say about living in the city, a new report shows there are plenty of reasons to be happy. The 2025 Happy City Index has ranked Vancouver the happiest city in North America. Justin McElroy explains how the study came to this conclusion.
Independent Singapore
20-05-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
Singaporeans say they're pretty happy living in the Lion City, but it might depend on whom you ask
SINGAPORE: After Singapore was ranked the third-happiest city in the world for 2025, a local Reddit user asked, 'Singaporeans, are you happy?' Over the weekend, it was reported by CNA that according to the Happy City Index by the Institute for the Quality of Life, Singapore scored 979 points after the index evaluated 82 indicators across six key areas: citizens, governance, environment, economy, health, and mobility. The index says these categories 'directly influence' how happy residents feel in their cities. On r/askSingapore on Tuesday morning (May 20). U/Actual_Eye6716 posted their thoughts on the matter, saying that 'I try to look for the silver lining'. When she had a corporate job, she 'desperately' wanted a break, but now that she's unemployed and at home with a newborn, she's 'desperate' for a job. ' The lesson for me here is being present and content with my life,' she added. By and large, many Reddit users who responded to her said they were pretty happy. 'It took me living overseas for many years to appreciate Singapore, and as I get older, I realise there are a lot of things that our country has really nailed down right for peace, stability, and security for the population. I'm glad I can complain about how boring Singapore is, instead of living in fear overseas,' one wrote. '… yes. I have so much to be grateful for, and life is pretty great and beautiful 🙂 despite all my struggles, my life could be way worse lol,' another chimed in. 'Ohh yes, I am, earning ($S3,500) after CPF (Central Provident Fund), which is enough for a single male, got a two-room resale to myself, gaming and doom scrolling videos after work with nothing to worry about,' commented one. Another opined, 'Mmmm.. we're not at war, no regional tension in the air. Our people are not hungry. Neighbourhoods are safe. Political disagreements are not violent. Wages for the middle class is… not terrible. University admission rates are increasing. More MRT lines. Things to look forward to, like RTS, T5, and some rejuvenation here and there. Ok la. Even though my bak chor mee just increased price by 50 cents again, but.. ok la.' Interestingly, a take from former GIC chief economist Lam Keong Yeoh, which has received some traction on Facebook, is a little different. Mr Lam wrote, 'Global city or country 'happiness' reports that rank Singapore anywhere in the top 10 to 20 are usually either based on statistical criteria like life expectancy, government efficiency, or surveys of expats.' He added that surveys such as the one that the Happy City Index is based on are valid, but he expressed concern that they may not reflect how many people in Singapore feel that way. 'The most authoritative global happiness rankings of lived happiness, e.g., the World Happiness report, give most weight to surveys, e.g., Gallup poll rankings of lifestyle quality. The top 10 to 20 countries in such rankings tend to be social democratic countries with good social protection and open, accountable democratic institutions,' he added. /TISG Read also: Singapore, ranked 3rd happiest city in the world, joined by Seoul and Taipei in Asia
The Hill
20-05-2025
- The Hill
Ranking reveals ‘happiest' cities in the world: See how the US fared
According to new research, the happiest places on earth don't involve the United States — though some U.S. cities did make the list further down. As is customary, Scandinavian cities scored highly in the 2025 Happy City Index. Copenhagen, Denmark, was ranked first ahead of Zurich, Switzerland; Singapore; Aarhus, Denmark; and Antwerp, Belgium. The rankings are based on six criteria: citizens, governance, environment, economy, health and mobility. They involve databases and interviews with people in the respective cities. Two hundred cities made the list, where they were scored in the six categories, with points tallied to provide an overall score.
