The people of Kassel have every reason to smile. According to the 2025 SKL Glücksatlas, life satisfaction across Germany’s major cities has risen noticeably — and Kassel once again claims the top spot. Nearly all of the 40 cities in the ranking recorded gains compared to the previous year, while only a few saw slight declines.
Researchers note that it’s not the size of a city or its economic power that defines happiness, but rather a balanced distribution of satisfaction among its citizens. Smaller, greener, and more community-driven cities tend to perform better than Germany’s big urban hubs.
“The recovery from the pandemic is complete,” says Prof. Dr. Bernd Raffelhüschen, scientific director of the Glücksatlas and professor at the University of Freiburg.
Kassel: small, green, and surprisingly content
Kassel scored an impressive 7.44 points, placing it well ahead of many richer cities. The North Hesse city stands out thanks to its youthful population, solid healthcare network, and abundant green spaces. Although its economy performs only slightly below the national average, the city’s residents seem remarkably content:
- 56 % of Kassel’s citizens are considered “highly satisfied.”
- Only 3 % describe themselves as seriously unhappy.
This makes Kassel a textbook example of what researchers call an overperformer — a place where subjective happiness clearly outpaces objective indicators like income or GDP.
Rostock at the bottom — prosperity doesn’t equal happiness
At the other end of the scale, Rostock saw its happiness score drop significantly, landing at 6.08 points, last among all 40 cities — 0.37 points behind Wiesbaden. Despite economic growth and a rising population, many residents struggle with tight living spaces, lower wages, and social isolation.
Only 27.2 % of Rostock’s population report being highly satisfied, compared to a national average of 45.3 %, while 21.3 % classify themselves as dissatisfied. Objectively, the city ranks mid-field — but subjectively, it performs far worse.
Trends and surprises across Germany
Overall, life satisfaction in Germany’s urban centers increased by 0.13 points compared to the previous year. The Top 10 includes both university cities and major hubs — Augsburg, Aachen, Münster, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg — proving that different types of cities can succeed in different ways.
Unexpectedly, Krefeld (rank 2) and Duisburg (rank 10) also made the top group despite lower incomes and higher unemployment rates. Their success highlights that even economically weaker cities can offer fulfilling living conditions when social cohesion and quality of life are strong.
The big-city paradox
The study reveals a consistent pattern: the bigger the city, the lower the happiness.
In cities under 400,000 inhabitants, the average score sits at 7.01.
In million-resident metropolises like Munich or Berlin, it drops to 6.90.
High rents, traffic congestion, noise, and weaker social ties often offset the advantages of urban wealth. Yet people continue to flock to big cities — drawn by career prospects and cultural life, even if it means sacrificing some happiness.
Wealth alone doesn’t buy happiness
Money helps — but not as much as people think. Wealthier cities show only marginally higher life satisfaction than poorer ones: a mere 0.04-point difference based on income, and 0.03-point when measured by GDP.
Within each city, however, individuals with higher incomes report significantly better well-being. Doubling one’s income can raise life satisfaction by 0.5–0.6 points, according to the data.
Equality of happiness matters most
The study’s most striking insight: cities where satisfaction is evenly distributed are overall happier. Where large gaps exist between the “very satisfied” and the “very dissatisfied,” social participation tends to shrink. Communities become fragmented, social trust erodes — and happiness declines for everyone.
Kassel’s example demonstrates that a shared sense of well-being, not sheer wealth, defines the cities where people truly feel at home.
