This Swiss town is one of the happiest cities in the world

What makes a city truly livable—and its residents genuinely happy? The new «Happy City Index 2025», published by the London-based Institute of Quality of Life, offers some compelling answers.

250 cities worldwide were evaluated—not only for economic strength and infrastructure, but also for factors that directly impact daily life: proximity to services, environmental quality, healthcare, mobility, good governance, and economic stability.

Each of these six categories was given equal weight in the overall ranking – based on publicly available data, expert analyses and public feedback.

Zurich shines with its proximity to citizens and quality of life

With 993 points, Zurich ranks second in the global rankings, just behind the Danish capital Copenhagen (1039 points), and ahead of the Asian metropolis Singapore . Zurich scored particularly highly in the categories Citizens (256 points) and Governance (185 points), indicating strong citizen participation and a transparent, effective city administration.

Zurich also ranks highly in environment, health, and economy—from well-maintained parks and efficient public transport to a stable economic climate. The only minor shortcoming is mobility: with a score of 80 points, there’s room for improvement, though the city is already addressing this through traffic-calming measures and cycling initiatives.

Geneva (20th place with 883 points) and Basel (47th place with 806 points) also secured spots in the top 50, praised for their high quality of life, excellent healthcare, and international openness. Bern and Lausanne follow, both ranking within the top 100.

The top 10 of the “Happy City Index”:

1. Copenhagen.
2. Zurich.
3. Singapore.
4. Aarhus.
5. Antwerp.
6. Seoul.
7. Stockholm.
8. Taipei.
9. Munich.
10. Rotterdam.