It’s official: London is one of the world’s happiest cities

A chaotic rental market and ridiculously busy transportation system are probably the things most strongly associated with the UK capital right now. But a happy city? We love it here, but that’s probably not the first thing to spring to mind when you think of London. 

Might be time to drop the grumpy stereotypes though, as London is officially one of the happiest cities in the world – the 33rd most happy, to be exact. 

The Happy City Index has apparently assessed thousands of quality of life factors which broadly fall into one of five categories: citizens, governance, environment, economy and mobility. The index then produced a list of bronze, silver and gold cities, and London scraped its way into the top gold category. 

And while the capital has a rep for being expensive and home to people who don’t have time to be friendly, there is plenty to be happy about if you live here. London is a hub for all kinds of culture, from intriguing new art exhibitions to pioneering theatre, knock-out restaurants and even world-class bakeries – not a bad selection to have on your doorstep (or a few tube stops away). 

But even the nitty-gritty, day-to-day aspects of living here can be pretty great. The capital is home to excellent secondary schools, universities and things such as nighttime transport and even internet speed will soon be improved. 

So, while we all might be paying a premium to live here, maybe it’s not so crazy that London is such a great place to live. While we’re on the subject, here are all the best things to do in London right now! 

You can read more about all the cities in this year’s Happy City Index on Time Out here.

Did you see this London high street is one of the best in the UK, according to the Times?

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