Bremen falls in the Happiness Atlas: High dissatisfaction despite stabilization!

Bremen falls in the Happiness Atlas: High dissatisfaction despite stabilization!

What are Germans doing when it comes to life satisfaction? A look at the current “Happiness Atlas” from the University of Freiburg, which was created on behalf of the South German Class Lottery, shows exciting trends and developments. Loud buten and within Almost 50 percent of those surveyed are highly satisfied with their lives. Hamburg leads the rankings, while Bremen, once in 9th place, has now slipped to 13th place. Despite this decline, the satisfaction of the people of Bremen has stabilized and is approaching the pre-Corona level again.

But what creates this feeling of dissatisfaction in Bremen? The people of Bremen complain about their income situation, professional situation and personal circumstances. In comparison, Lower Saxony can shine with a slight increase in life satisfaction to 8th place in a nationwide comparison. There is a positive development here, while on average across the country general life satisfaction has fallen slightly compared to 2020.

The leaders and bottom performers

The interesting question is how the individual federal states perform. Hamburg is ahead with a surprise of 7.33 points, followed by Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, both of which have 7.21 points. For comparison: Bremen only has 6.89 points, just above Berlin (6.83) and Saarland (6.78) and far behind bottom-place Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (6.06). Loud Daily Mirror satisfaction with income is at a new low, especially in the lower income groups.

Almost all federal states are recording a decrease in satisfaction with assessments of income and the work situation. The decline in satisfaction within the family is particularly noticeable, where the average is only 7.61 points - below the average in the years before the pandemic. The reasons for this include fewer marriages and the increase in single parents.

Look at the trends

The study shows that satisfaction in East Germany increased by 0.12 points, while satisfaction in the West only increased by 0.02 points. These slightly increasing values ​​narrow the “happiness gap” between East and West Germany. General life satisfaction has also increased German business news improved to 7.09 points from 7.06 points last year, with the survey conducted between July 2024 and June 2025.

The figures represent an encouraging development, even if the general situation remains challenging due to global crises such as the war in Ukraine and rising inflation rates. The post-pandemic recovery appears to be largely complete, but it remains to be seen how the economic environment will develop in the coming months and whether Germans can further increase their life satisfaction.