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Hamburg's secret to happiness: Highest satisfaction in Germany despite decline!
The Happiness Atlas 2025 shows a decline in life satisfaction in Schleswig-Holstein. Hamburg remains a leader.
Hamburg's secret to happiness: Highest satisfaction in Germany despite decline!
The latest edition of the Happiness Atlas caused a stir. Current figures show that Hamburg residents will be the happiest people in Germany in 2025. According to a survey by the University of Freiburg in collaboration with the Süddeutsche Klasselotterie (SKL), the citizens of the Hanseatic city rate their life satisfaction with an average of 7.33 points on a scale of 0 to 10. However, this is a slight decrease compared to the previous year, where Hamburg scored slightly higher. Nevertheless, the joy in the north remains unbroken, especially because of the high level of prosperity and a fair distribution of happiness.[sat1regional] reports that the good supply of public goods also contributes to this positive balance.
But not everywhere in Germany satisfaction shines as brightly as in Hamburg. A worrying trend can be observed in Schleswig-Holstein: satisfaction fell for the first time since 2021, which has now fallen to 7.12 points. This means that Schleswig-Holstein slipped from third place to fifth place in a nationwide comparison. The high living standards in Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, which each reach 7.21 points, as well as North Rhine-Westphalia with 7.19 points, contribute to the fact that people there are looking more optimistically into the new year.[zeit.de]
Comparison of the federal states
Here we take a look at the current life satisfaction values in the individual federal states:
| Federal State | Satisfaction (scale 0-10) |
|---|---|
| Hamburg | 7.33 |
| Bavaria | 7.21 |
| Rhineland palatinates | 7.21 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 7.19 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 7.12 |
| Bremen | 6.89 |
| Berlin | 6.83 |
| Saarland | 6.78 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 6.06 |
One bright spot is the increase in satisfaction in many eastern German states, while the west remains stagnant. According to the results of the Happiness Atlas, 48% of Germans now show a high level of satisfaction, i.e. values between 8 and 10 points. There are also notable developments in the initial survey periods, which took place from July 2024 to June 2025, where over 13,900 people aged 16 and over expressed their satisfaction. This also included specific surveys on areas of life such as work, income, family and leisure time.[skl-gluecksatlas]
However, economic challenges, such as the aftermath of the corona pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, are slowing the general recovery. Although job satisfaction is at 7.20 points and family satisfaction has also increased slightly, these values are still below pre-pandemic levels. Emotional aspects such as feelings of happiness and fears also show interesting developments: feelings of happiness increased to 57%, while 30% of people reported more anger.[skl-gluecksatlas]
It is therefore to be hoped that the situation in Schleswig-Holstein will soon stabilize again and people will be able to look more positively into the future again. Hamburg remains a pioneer, while many good approaches in the back ranks of the states are still waiting to be developed.