World's Happiest Cities 2026: Valencia is 13th in Time Out's List

The magazine Time Out has named the British city of Bath the world's happiest city in 2026. The outlet surveyed more than 24,000 residents of cities around the world. Valencia ranked 13th on the list.

The happiness ranking is part of Time Out's annual survey of the world's best cities, which involves more than 24,000 people. In addition to food, culture, and nightlife, participants are asked about their sense of community in their city, how easy it is to find love there, and whether their city makes them happy.

For the happiness ranking, survey participants were asked to rate five statements: "my city makes me happy," "I feel happier in my city than in other places I've lived or visited," "people in my city seem positive," "I find joy in the everyday small things my city offers," and "the feeling of happiness in my city has noticeably grown recently." The answers were converted into a percentage of positive responses, and only the single highest-scoring city from each country was included in the final top 20.

First place went to the English city of Bath: 93% of residents agree their city makes them happy, 92% feel happier in Bath than anywhere else, 90% consider their neighbors to be positively minded, 91% find joy in the city's everyday life, and 76% said the feeling of happiness in the city has noticeably grown recently.

Second place went to Panama City: 93% of residents said their city makes them happy, and 86% find joy in everyday small things. The city also topped the ranking for sense of community among all the cities surveyed — 87% of residents said they find it easy to meet new people in Panama City.

Third place went to Mexico's Guadalajara, with an overall happiness score of 83%. The birthplace of mariachi and tequila scored highly for culture (86%) and gastronomy (85%), and 80% for sense of community.

Valencia ranked 13th on the list — ahead of Prague, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur, Hamburg, Porto, and Amsterdam.

Time Out's Top 20 Happiest Cities

1. Bath, United Kingdom

2. Panama City, Panama

3. Guadalajara, Mexico

4. Medellín, Colombia

5. Kraków, Poland

6. Jaipur, India

7. Chicago, United States

8. Cape Town, South Africa

9. Shanghai, China

10. Gothenburg, Sweden

11. Montreal, Canada

12. São Paulo, Brazil

13. Valencia, Spain

14. Prague, Czechia

15. Melbourne, Australia

16. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

17. Hamburg, Germany

18. Porto, Portugal

19. Amsterdam, Netherlands

20. Chiang Mai, Thailand