Three cities from Türkiye are on the list of the happiest cities in the world

The Happy City Index evaluates the performance of cities in areas such as governance, civic participation, economy, health, environment and transportation. According to the index, Copenhagen stands out as a vibrant center of culture, governance and economic activity. The city also drew attention with its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Zurich, Switzerland, came in second on the list with 993 points. Zurich’s environmentally friendly transportation options, renewable energy initiatives and strong healthcare system are among the city’s important features.

The highest-scoring country outside Europe was Singapore, which came in third on the index with a total score of 979. Singapore stands out for its world-renowned universities, high levels of civic engagement and very low unemployment.

The fourth-place city was Aarhus, also in Denmark. Aarhus, which entered the list with 958 points, is the country's second largest city and is known for its active citizen participation. Active citizen participation means that individuals actively participate in decision-making processes at the social, political and local levels.

Antwerp, Belgium, came in fifth place with 956 points.

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, came in sixth place on the list with 942 points.

Despite being the highest-scoring city in the UK, London fell short of the top 20. With a score of 842, the city came in 31st. While London’s efficient transport network was seen as a positive factor, its 26 percent obesity rate negatively impacted the city’s ranking.

Other cities on the list are ranked from highest to lowest according to their scores:

Stockholm, Sweden

Taipei, Taiwan

Munich, Germany

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Vancouver, Canada

Vienna, Austria

Paris, France

Helsinki, Finland

Aalborg, Denmark

Berlin, Germany

New York, USA

Dresden, Germany

Brussels, Belgium

Geneva, Switzerland

In the list of the happiest cities in the world, Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara from Türkiye managed to enter the list.

Istanbul ranked 127th on the happiest city list, leaving behind cities such as Madrid, Riyadh and Birmingham.

Following Istanbul, the other Turkish city to enter the list was Izmir. Including the list from 143rd place, Izmir ranked ahead of many cities such as Leipzig, Toronto, Moscow and Athens.

Finally, Ankara was included in the list at 198th place, ahead of Houston and Pula.