Abu Dhabi tops world’s happiest cities list, Dubai also ranks high

Dubai: Abu Dhabi has been ranked the happiest city in the world for 2025, while Dubai secured 16th place among the 20 happiest cities globally, according to the Time Out Index, which is based on positive feedback from residents.

The Time Out 2025 Index places Abu Dhabi at the top, followed by Medellín, Cape Town, and Mexico City. Mumbai ranked fifth, while Beijing and Shanghai took sixth and seventh place respectively.

Chicago came in eighth, Seville ninth, and Melbourne rounded out the top ten. The remainder of the list includes Brighton, Porto, Sydney, Chiang Mai, and Marrakech, with Dubai ranking 16th, alongside Hanoi, Jakarta, Valencia, and Glasgow in the top 20.

The rankings, derived from residents’ perceptions of quality of life, community spirit, and personal fulfilment, reveal how happiness can flourish across diverse cities and cultures. Time Out’s happiness metric was based on the proportion of positive responses to five key statements: “My city makes me happy”; “I feel happier in my city than in other places I’ve lived or visited”; “The people in my city seem happy”; “I find joy in the everyday experiences my city offers”; and “The sense of happiness in my city has grown significantly in recent times.”