Overview
- Average life satisfaction reached 7.09 on a 0–10 scale, up 0.03 from 2024, with 48% rating their lives between 8 and 10.
- Eastern Germany rose by 0.12 points versus 0.02 in the West, narrowing the East–West gap to about 0.24 points.
- Hamburg led the state table at 7.33, followed by Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate (7.21), while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania trailed at 6.06; Berlin, Saarland and Bremen also ranked low.
- Satisfaction with income fell 0.21 to 6.60, a decline confined to lower-income groups, as reports of negative emotions such as anger increased.
- Young adults (16–25) saw the biggest gains, while ratings by those 61–74 lagged the 2010s, and Kassel ranked as the happiest large city at 7.44.