Kassel at the top: Germany's happiest city despite challenges!

Kassel at the top: Germany's happiest city despite challenges!

There are cities in Germany that have everything: high quality of life, great infrastructure and a thriving cultural scene. And then there is Kassel, which is now officially considered the happiest big city in Germany. In the current “Happiness Atlas” from the South German Class Lottery (SKL), Kassel was recognized for its high level of life satisfaction and secured first place in the ranking of the 40 largest cities. This means that the city on the Fulda will remain at the top in 2024, a repeat of last year's success.

What makes Kassel the happiest city in Germany? According to the survey, which was carried out between January 2022 and April 2025, Kassel achieved an average of 7.38 points on a scale from 0 to 10. This is not only a great result, but also a positive signal about how citizens assess their quality of life. Mayor Sven Schoeller highlights the measures that the city is taking: “We are pursuing a targeted family and education policy, relying on renewable energies and environmentally friendly mobility in order to further increase well-being” - this should make life in Kassel even better than it already is.

A strong field of comparison

The Happiness Atlas shows an interesting trend: While Kassel is in first place, Krefeld and Düsseldorf are in second and third place. Erfurt and Aachen, on the other hand, have lost their place in the list and are now in sixth and fifth place. At the other end of the list we find Rostock, which once again comes in at the bottom. Bernd Raffelhüschen from the University of Freiburg explains that the distribution of happiness in large cities is crucial for happiness in life. Smaller cities often have advantages due to a student population, lots of green space and solid medical care, which has a positive effect on the quality of life.

The survey also shows that larger cities tend to have lower levels of life satisfaction. Munich, for example, comes in 27th place, Frankfurt am Main in 35th place and Berlin in 37th place. This puts them far behind Kassel. Interestingly, the gap between Kassel and Rostock is considerable: 1.02 points were included in this ranking, which reflects the difference between the attitude towards life of a healthy person and one with poor health.

Economy and interim balance

But what about the objective indicators of prosperity in Kassel? Compared to other large cities, Kassel ranks 16th in terms of quality of life. Nevertheless, the city has a comparatively high unemployment rate. The infrastructure, the cultural offerings as well as the health care and educational facilities should be positively highlighted.

Overall, life satisfaction among Germans increased to 7.06 points in 2024, a small increase of 0.14 points compared to the previous year. This means that Germany is back on the path to returning to pre-corona pandemic levels, albeit still below the peak of 2019. These developments also appear to be having an impact on Kassel, as the city is actively working on its attractiveness.

If we look back, we can see that citizens have become happier thanks to wage increases and a decline in inflation. Satisfaction with income and the world of work is also increasing. So while we are moving towards a positive trend, it is also becoming apparent that people's emotional perceptions, which are often characterized by fears and worries, are also changing. Kassel therefore remains a particularly lively place that attracts people with its attractive offerings and enables them to live a happy life.