Augsburg shines in the lucky atlas: fourth place and the happiest city of southern Germany!

Augsburg shines in the lucky atlas: fourth place and the happiest city of southern Germany!

If you listen to yourself in Augsburg, you could think that there is actually something to celebrate here. Because the city has in the current Glücksatlas of the University of Freiburg and the southern German class lottery (SKL) vigorously picked up. Augsburg took fourth place in the 2025 urban ranking and is the happiest city in southern Germany. A big leap from seventh place in the previous year! With a lucky index of 7.33 points, Augsburg is only behind Kassel (7.44), Krefeld (7.39) and Düsseldorf (7.36).

For the Augsburgers, the numbers are a reason for joy and demonstrate the high level of life satisfaction in the city. According to BR it is above all the low crime rate, the easy accessibility of supermarkets and medical practices as well as the low school leaving quota that contribute to life quality. Only Mainz does not have fewer burglaries than Augsburg, which benefits the population's feeling of security.

happy citizens despite average

It is particularly noticeable that Augsburg is considered the "overperformer". There is a high level of life satisfaction here, although the objective indicators such as income and health care are rather average. The lucky atlas also shows that rents are also increasing, while construction activity drops, which is a challenge for the future. Nevertheless, there are only 1.8% dissatisfied citizens in Augsburg - the slightest part in Germany. For comparison: it is 12.5%in Munich. Despite the high satisfaction of life, the Augsburgers have to deal with long pendulum distances and a small number of recreation areas.

The results of the lucky atlas are based on 23,500 surveys between the ages of 16 and 78, and show a positive trend in life satisfaction compared to previous years. This study reflects the general attitude to life in the largest German cities and shows that big cities tend to offer less happiness in life.

A look at the competition

in Bavaria, Augsburg is clearly in the first places, while Munich with 6.84 points in 27th place and Nuremberg are far from 36. It becomes clear again that prosperity and high incomes are not necessarily synonymous with luck, such as Capital . The investigation led by Bernd Raffelhüschen shows that family, safe and green cities are at the top of the happiness ranking, while material factors play a subordinate role.

The high number of one -person households in Augsburg - 57.5% compared to the nationwide average of 50% - could have to do with loneliness and social isolation. This shows that despite satisfied citizens, challenges must also be overcome. In a city that has established itself as the happiest in southern Germany, it is important to promote social cohesion and not just rely on the statistical figures.

Overall, the lucky atlas shows that Augsburg is in a happy position with its high level of life satisfaction. It remains to be seen how the city will develop in the coming years and whether it can hold its place in the ranking or even improve.