Rotterdam named 10th-happiest city in the world in new ranking
AVenZo - Ludo de Rooij / Shutterstock.com
By Simone Jacobs
A Dutch city has been named in the top 10 of the 2025 Happy City Index. The title of 10th-happiest city in the world goes to none other than the Netherlands’ port city, Rotterdam.
Happy City Index 2025
The mission of the Institute for Quality of Life, which publishes the Happy City Index, is to improve the quality of life of citizens worldwide by providing research on human wellbeing. Looking at 200 global cities, the ranking considers six main themes covering 26 areas that determine the happiness and quality of life of a city’s people.
- Citizens: Education system, inclusive policies, innovation and creativity of residents, housing and access to culture
- Governance: Residents' involvement in decision making, transparency, accessibility of public e-services, conscious strategies
- Environment: Management of natural resources, anti-pollution, waste, water management and recycling, availability of green areas, biodiversity protection
- Economy: GDP and productivity, business innovation, entrepreneurship, labour market and unemployment, internationalisation of enterprises
- Health: Mental health, safety, nutrition and work-life balance
- Mobility: Communication technologies in transport, accessibility and efficiency of public transport, openness of transport data
Each area has a different weight and level of significance assigned based on research, findings and analyses. In the sixth edition of the Happy City Index, Copenhagen has claimed the top spot, with Zurich and Singapore rounding out the top three.
The Netherlands home to 10th-happiest city in the world
Rotterdam nabbed the final spot in the top 10 happiest cities in the world. The Dutch city is celebrated for being a “hub of trade, innovation and resilience”.
Rotterdam performed best in the health category. With a high life expectancy in the city, low obesity rate and focus on mental health, Rotterdam was placed in fourth position in this category.
Other areas in which the port city performed well were in terms of sustainability and biodiversity protection. Low pollution rates, effective waste management and adequate recycling earned Rotterdam a spot in the top 10 for the environment category.
10 happiest cities in the world
In all, here are the world’s top 10 happiest cities:
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Singapore, Singapore
- Aarhus, Denmark
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Seoul, South Korea
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Taipei, Taiwan Region
- Munich, Germany
- Rotterdam, the Netherlands
For more information and to see the full ranking, visit the official Happy City Index website.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more