According to a recent study, the happiest people in the Netherlands live in Ede, a city situated between Arnhem and Utrecht.

The happiest cities

All municipalities took part in a study called the Atlas for Municipalities. Of the 50 largest municipalities, Ede scored the highest with 89 percent of its people claiming to be happy, whilst people in Rotterdam were found to be less happy. 

It found that people in Ede were the happiest because most residents of the city had work, were healthy, and lived in a safe, pleasant environment surrounded by lots of space.

The runners up included Alphen aan den Rijn in second place and Amstelveen in third.

Overall trend

On average, the study showed that 87 percent of the Dutch population consider themselves to be happy. It showed that residents of cities and towns are generally less happy than those living in villages.

Happy municipalities are generally municipalities with an attractive living environment where many healthy and working people live.

Unhappy municipalities are generally more densely populated with residents who are disabled or unemployed and/or come from a migrant background.

For example, the average number of people who were found to be happy in cities was 85 percent, whereas non-urban municipalities were only slightly higher with 89 percent.

The happiest 10 major city councils

Here are 10 of the most happy places in the Netherlands:
1. Ede
2. Alphen aan den Rijn
3. Amstelveen
4. Amersfoort
5. Gouda
6. Velsen
7. Apeldoorn
8. Nissewaard
9. Haarlemmermeer
10. Deventer

The least happy 10 major city councils

Here are 10 of the least happy places in the Netherlands:
1. Rotterdam
2. Amsterdam
3. Arnhem
4. The Hague
5. Sittard-Geleen
6. Heerlen
7. Maastricht
8. Groningen
9. Nijmegen
10. Lelystad