Ninety-three out of one hundred people in Bath say that their city makes them happy. It is not a tourist satisfaction survey, nor a ranking drawn up by a statistical body, it is the direct responses of those who live in that city, work there, get stuck in traffic and pay the bills. And this is precisely the strength, and at the same time the declared limit, of the survey with which Time Out has drawn up the ranking of the twenty happiest cities in the world for the year 2026.
How the ranking was born
The mechanism is as simple as it is rigorous, built through over 24 thousand residents in 150 different cities who responded to five statements:
- Does my city make me happy?
- Do I feel happier in my city than other places I have lived or visited?
- Do the people in my city seem positive?
- Do I find joy in the daily experiences that my city offers?
- Has the sense of happiness in my city grown a lot recently?
The positive response percentages were then added to obtain an overall happiness index score. To ensure truly global representation, the editorial team has chosen to include only the most voted city in each country in the top 20, which is why we do not have a ranking dominated by US and European metropolises.
The podium
In first place, by a clear margin, is Bath. The English spa city, famous for its Roman baths and the Georgian architecture that defines its historic centre, has garnered almost unanimous approval: 93% of residents say they are happy to live there, 92% feel more satisfied there than elsewhere, 90% describe their neighbors as positive people. 83% add that it is easy to find a sense of community in Bath, given that, combined with the record achieved in the ranking dedicated to urban greenery, it conveys the image of a resident-friendly city.
In second place we find Panama City, the Panamanian capital, which stands out in particular for its social cohesion: 87% of residents consider it easy to form ties and build relationships, the highest score ever recorded on this indicator.
Third position for Guadalajara, Mexico, home of tequila and mariachi, where local culture and gastronomy obtain 86 and 85% approval respectively.
The 20 happiest cities in the world
Here is the complete ranking drawn up by Time Out:
- Bath, UK
- Panama City, Panama
- Guadalajara, Mexico
- Medellin, Colombia
- Krakow, Poland
- Jaipur, India
- Chicago, United States
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Shanghai, China
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Montreal, Canada
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Valencia, Spain
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Melbourne, Australia
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Hamburg, Germany
- Porto, Portugal
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
