Results 2026 · London, UK Parliament
Copenhagen leads the sixth Happy City Index, unveiled at the UK Parliament
250 ranked cities, 64 indicators across six dimensions, and a new alliance for cities that want to learn from one another.
The results of the 6th edition of the Happy City Index were officially announced in London, at the seat of the British Parliament. The ceremony closed the largest community-driven study of urban development in the world, and was made possible through the support of Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, a long-standing advocate of sustainable urban development focused on residents' happiness and well-being.
This year's edition covers 251 cities and is built on 64 indicators across six dimensions: Citizens, Governance, Environment, Economy, Health and Mobility. Over five months, 466 researchers collected and validated around 150,000 data records using one shared methodology.
The Index does not try to crown a single "best city in the world". It looks for cities that combine good governance, sustainability, resilience and quality of life, and gives a more balanced picture of how they are developing.
Alongside the results, the initiative launched the Happy City Alliance, a programme to follow cities' progress over time and share what works.