Can you guess which Italian city tops the list? According tothe 2026 Happy City Index, it’s not Rome—and, surprisingly, it’s not even Milan. Let’s find out together how our cities rank on the global stage.
What is the Happy City Index?
The Happy City Index is a global study developed by the Institute for Quality of Life, based in London and Paris. The goal is not simply to crown the “best city” overall, but to identify urban centers that successfully balance governance, sustainability, and citizen well-being. To compile the ranking, 466 researchers analyzed 251 cities based on 64 indicators divided into six key categories: Citizens, Governance, Environment, Economy, Health, and Mobility.
The 2026 edition was impressive: the research team started with an initial sample of 3,400 cities worldwide, narrowing it down to a final selection of 1,000, and ultimately to the 251 included in the official ranking. Over 150,000 data records were validated by cross-referencing structural statistics with residents’ perceptions.
The global Top 10 and the situation in Italy
As is traditional, the top spots in the ranking are occupied by cities in the Scandinavian and Alpine regions. The global top 10 is as follows: Copenhagen (Denmark) – 6,954 points, Helsinki (Finland), Geneva (Switzerland), Uppsala (Sweden), Tokyo (Japan), Trondheim (Norway), Bern (Switzerland), Malmö (Sweden), Munich (Germany), Aarhus (Denmark).
And what about Italy? Rome languishes in 144th place. Bologna is the happiest Italian city, ranking 73rd , followed by Parma (77th) and Milan (80th).
Behind Rome are other cities struggling to keep up: Verona (146th), Messina (158th), and Bari (164th). The lowest rankings are held by Naples (202nd) and Salerno (208th), confirming a still-clear geographical divide in terms of services and urban resilience.
