Two UK locations named in top 20 happiest cities in the world

Was not expecting number 20...

Happiness is a tough metric to measure, but is one of the most important for quality of life, and while the usual places tend to top these kind of lists, two UK cities have found themselves in the global top 20.

The UK is notoriously not a happy place, by the self-admission of many Brits, but there are two enclaves of joy on our sodden British Isles where apparently happiness runs rife!

The ranking comes via TimeOut who surveyed 18,000 people across the world in order to get a definitive final list.

The outlet asked people about culture, nightlife, food, walkability, affordability and quality of life, amongst other things, including specifically happiness.

Out of the top 20 cities, two UK locations figured, one in England and one in Scotland.

Brighton made it in at 11th place while, now hold on to your hats on this one, Glasgow came in at 20th.

Yep, that's right, Glasgow is the 20th happiest city in the world. Use this information wisely.

The full list is as follows.

The 20 happiest cities in the world in 2025

1. Abu Dhabi, UAE
2. Medellín, Colombia
3. Cape Town, South Africa
4. Mexico City, Mexico
5. Mumbai, India
6. Beijing, China
7. Shanghai, China
8. Chicago, US
9. Seville, Spain
10. Melbourne, Australia
11. Brighton, UK
12. Porto, Portugal
13. Sydney, Australia
14. Chiang Mai, Thailand
15. Marrakech, Morocco
16. Dubai, UAE
17. Hanoi, Vietnam
18. Jakarta, Indonesia
19. Valencia, Spain
20. Glasgow, UK