https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Germany has jumped five spots to land among the world's top 20 happiest countries, according to a new report. One major contributing factor is rising satisfaction in the former East German regions. https://www.thelocal.de/20260319/germany-jumps-fives-places-in-world-happiness-rankings Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:59:26 +0100 germany-jumps-fives-places-in-world-happiness-rankings A ranking of Germany's 40 biggest cities in terms of residents' life satisfaction shows that Berlin, Munich and Cologne are nowhere near the top. Here are the cities where people say they are the happiest. https://www.thelocal.de/20250617/in-which-german-cities-are-the-residents-the-happiest Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:33:43 +0200 in-which-german-cities-are-the-residents-the-happiest More than one-in-five people in Germany live by themselves, a rate which has surged in the past twenty years, according to new figures. https://www.thelocal.de/20250717/number-of-people-living-alone-in-germany-surges Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:17:20 +0200 number-of-people-living-alone-in-germany-surges Germany has slipped down three spots in a global corruption ranking, signalling that the country is failing to make progress to tackle corruption in the public sector. https://www.thelocal.de/20250211/no-progress-why-has-germany-fallen-in-a-global-corruption-ranking Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:43:56 +0100 no-progress-why-has-germany-fallen-in-a-global-corruption-ranking On the world stage, life expectancy is relatively high in Germany. But within the country there are noticeable differences between states. Here's where people are living the longest. https://www.thelocal.de/20240822/where-in-germany-do-people-live-the-longest-2 Thu, 22 Aug 2024 14:51:18 +0200 where-in-germany-do-people-live-the-longest-2 People living in Germany feel less safe now than they did five years ago, a survey shows, with many feeling particularly unsafe in train stations amid a rise in knife crime. https://www.thelocal.de/20240819/half-of-germans-feel-less-safe-why-the-interior-minister-wants-to-ban-knives Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:31:35 +0200 half-of-germans-feel-less-safe-why-the-interior-minister-wants-to-ban-knives Germany has fallen to 24th place in the UN's World Happiness Report, with the under 30s ranking significantly lower. It's still a stable and economically prosperous compared to many countries, so why is happiness on the decline? https://www.thelocal.de/20240322/why-are-people-in-germany-getting-unhappier Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:03:59 +0100 why-are-people-in-germany-getting-unhappier The inner German border separated East and West Germany from 1949 until the two sides reunited in 1990. Though the border was destroyed 30 years ago, it still impacts the lives of people living on either side of the line. https://www.thelocal.de/20240221/how-does-germanys-phantom-border-still-divide-the-country Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:05:38 +0100 how-does-germanys-phantom-border-still-divide-the-country A new European survey finds only Bulgarians are more unhappy than Germans, while Austrians take the top spot. https://www.thelocal.de/20231212/germans-among-the-unhappiest-people-in-europe Tue, 12 Dec 2023 11:39:33 +0100 germans-among-the-unhappiest-people-in-europe Life expectancy in Germany is dropping, but is still above EU average. In which areas of Germany do people live longest and shortest lives in and what are the differences between east and west? https://www.thelocal.de/20231113/where-in-germany-do-people-live-the-longest Mon, 13 Nov 2023 17:41:32 +0100 where-in-germany-do-people-live-the-longest The annual global ranking saw the Bundesrepublik drop by five spots from last year's results. https://www.thelocal.de/20230906/germany-ranked-7th-best-country-in-the-world-in-2023 Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:28:58 +0200 germany-ranked-7th-best-country-in-the-world-in-2023 One of Berlin's most iconic streets has become embroiled in a fierce debate over the future of mobility in Germany after a decision to block part of the road off to cars was challenged in court. Here's the latest on what's happening. https://www.thelocal.de/20221104/how-berlin-friedrichstrase-ended-up-at-the-centre-of-the-car-free-debate Fri, 04 Nov 2022 12:31:52 +0100 how-berlin-friedrichstrase-ended-up-at-the-centre-of-the-car-free-debate A new survey into mobility in several major economies shows that Germans want to change their behaviour towards more environmentally friendly travel. But there’s a hitch... https://www.thelocal.de/20210831/does-german-desire-for-transport-efficiency-trump-environmental-concerns Tue, 31 Aug 2021 14:53:20 +0200 does-german-desire-for-transport-efficiency-trump-environmental-concerns Want to find your happy place in Germany? You might want to move to Schleswig-Holstein, according to the latest "Happiness Atlas" produced by Deutsche Post. https://www.thelocal.de/20151125/germanys-happiest-states-revealed Wed, 25 Nov 2015 16:08:06 +0100 germanys-happiest-states-revealed Friendly citizens and a beautiful skyline made Hamburg the city that Germans most want to move to in 2015, according to a recent survey. https://www.thelocal.de/20150911/hamburg-takes-crown-as-germans-fave-city Fri, 11 Sep 2015 13:40:43 +0200 hamburg-takes-crown-as-germans-fave-city Hamburg, Munich and Berlin all appeared in the 25 most liveable places on the planet in elite magazine Monocle's 2015 rankings. Berlin shot further up the charts for the second year running. https://www.thelocal.de/20150612/berlin-roars-up-best-city-rankings Fri, 12 Jun 2015 17:14:28 +0200 berlin-roars-up-best-city-rankings Germany offers some of the best quality of life in the world, a survey released on Thursday revealed. Three of its cities were placed in the top ten of the annual rankings - more than any other country. https://www.thelocal.de/20140220/german-cities-offer-best-quality-of-life Thu, 20 Feb 2014 13:24:00 +0100 german-cities-offer-best-quality-of-life Germany is the most popular country in the world, according to a poll that asked people to rate the positive and negative influence of 16 major nations. https://www.thelocal.de/20110308/33573 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:27:00 +0100 33573 Germany has been ranked the world's fourth best place to live by the 2010 Quality of Life Index, compiled by travel magazine International Living. https://www.thelocal.de/20100108/24451 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:14:00 +0100 24451