Vienna is one of the ‘happiest cities in the world’, according to 2024 international ranking that might leave some readers perplexed. (Share your own views in the survey or comments section below.)

The Austrina capital was ranked as the 14th happiest city out of 250 in the recently published Happy City Index 2024.

Aarhus in Denmark got top spot, followed by Switzerlands Zurich and Berlin in Germany, but nevertheless 14th is not a bad ranking for Vienna.

What was the score based on?

The Happy City Index is based on indicators that relate “to the quality of life and the sense of happiness of residents”.

Unlike traditional indices that focus mainly on economic indicators like GDP, the Happy City Index considers a wide range of factors that contribute to residents’ quality of life that are divided into five key categories, such as citizens, governance, environment, economy and mobility.

Vienna scored high on governance and economy but lower on mobility. Governance includes factors such as involving residents in decision making processes and being transparent. For the category Economy the basic factors such as the city’s GDP as well as how creative and innovative the business sector is are taken into account. And Mobility looks at the quality of the transport system.

It’s worth noting that Austria’s capital has also scored well in other global city rankings.

In fact, the Austrian capital has for many years been ranked as the most liveable city in the world. The title was mainly thanks to the city’s stability, great healthcare system, quality education, strong infrastructure, cultural richness, strong social services, many green spaces, effective public transport, and more.

In 2023, Vienna received high scores in The Global Liveability Index 2023 reported by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“Stability and good infrastructure are the city’s main charms for its inhabitants, supported by good healthcare and plenty of opportunities for culture and entertainment.”, stated in The Global Index Report.

But…. Vienna is still considered one of the unfriendliest by expats

Even though Vienna is considered one of the happiest cities in the world, it has also been ranked as the world’s most unfriendly city for foreigners.

Every year, InterNations conducts the Expat Insider Survey, questioning more than 12,000 respondents about their experiences of living and working abroad in 53 destinations.

According to the survey, it is difficult for international residents to make Austrian friends. 

“Austrians are considered the unfriendliest locals worldwide, both in general and towards foreign residents in particular (it ranks 53rd for both),” said InterNations in a statement. 

So do international residents find Vienna a happy city to live in? What is it about Vienna that makes them happy and what makes them unhappy? Share your views in the survey below or the comments section to give other readers some insights into life in Vienna.

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