Australia is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. In the 2021 World Happiness Report, Australia came in 11th place out of 149 countries ranked for happiness and well-being. But when you look within Australia, there are some variations between states and territories when it comes to happiness levels. Certain areas of the country tend to have higher life satisfaction and positive emotions compared to others.
So where are the happiest people living in Australia? Understanding where the most content Aussies reside can reveal insights into what contributes to life satisfaction and positive mental health. Factors like income, employment, community, lifestyle and more all play a role in determining happiness. By analyzing survey data and quality of life indicators, we can pinpoint the parts of Australia that tend to produce the most cheerful population.
Measuring Happiness in Australia
There are a few key metrics used to gauge and compare happiness levels across different areas:
Subjective Wellbeing Scores
Subjective wellbeing looks at how people evaluate and experience the quality of their own lives. The most comprehensive subjective wellbeing survey conducted in Australia is the Personal Wellbeing Index by Deakin University. It asks respondents to rate their satisfaction with aspects like health, relationships, safety and community connectedness on a scale from 0 to 100. Aggregate scores are calculated to compare wellbeing between groups. Locations with higher average ratings have greater subjective wellbeing.
Life Satisfaction Ratings
National surveys like the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey include a life satisfaction question where people rate their overall life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Places with higher average life satisfaction scores contain happier populations.
Prevalence of Positive Emotions
The frequency and intensity of positive emotions and experiences are strong markers of happiness. Surveys can measure positive emotions by asking how often people feel joy, excitement, contentment and laughter. More positive emotions indicate greater happiness.
Incidence of Negative Emotions
Conversely, lower rates of negative emotions and affect like sadness, anger, stress and pain correlate with greater happiness. Locations where residents report less negative feelings and states have happier populaces.
Top 10 Happiest Places to Live in Australia
Looking across the various happiness indicators, these stand out as the top 10 happiest places in the country:
1. Australian Capital Territory
Australia’s capital territory emerges as the happiest part of the country. The ACT rated highly across subjective wellbeing, life satisfaction and positive emotion measures. It has the highest average life satisfaction rating in Australia at 8.2 out of 10. Almost 38% of ACT residents gave a life satisfaction score of 9 or 10, compared to the national average of just over 30%. The territory also ranked first for personal wellbeing in the domains of community, future security, health and standard of living.
2. Western Australia
Western Australia consistently performs well on happiness benchmarks. It rated second highest for average life satisfaction at 7.9 out of 10. WA also came second only to the ACT for personal wellbeing in areas like personal relationships, achieving in life, and feeling safe. The state experiences more sunshine and warmer weather compared to eastern Australia, which may contribute to greater happiness.
3. Queensland
The Sunshine State lives up to its name by coming in third happiest place in the country. Queenslanders enjoy warm weather, an enviable laid-back lifestyle, and stunning natural attractions. On the personal wellbeing index, the state scored highest in health satisfaction alongside the ACT. Queensland also fits the “sunnier is happier” pattern with the most average daily sunshine hours nationwide.
4. South Australia
South Australia takes fourth position for happiness ahead of the larger east coast states. It rated high for personal wellbeing in the safety and community connection domains. SA displays relatively low levels of anxiety, depression and mental distress compared to the Australian average. The state also enjoys higher than average sunshine hours and a slightly warmer climate that may lift moods.
5. Tasmania
The Island State ranks fifth for happiness across Australia. Tasmania came third for personal wellbeing in the health satisfaction domain, potentially buoyed by its abundance of fresh produce and stunning natural environment. The state also has lower rates of stress, anxiety and depression symptoms compared to the national norm. Tasmania’s tighter-knit communities likely foster a greater sense of belonging.
6. Victoria
Victoria holds sixth place for happiness nationally. While not leading the pack, Victoria still achieved respectable scores across life satisfaction, personal wellbeing and positive emotion metrics. Feelings of safety and community connectedness were relative strengths for the state. Mild weather and renowned sports culture also contribute to quality of life.
7. New South Wales
Despite boasting Australia’s largest population centre in Sydney, NSW comes in seventh for happiness. The state lagged slightly behind others for personal wellbeing in domains like community, safety and future security. However, NSW still ranked higher than the national average for life satisfaction and positive emotions like smiling/laughter.
8. Northern Territory
The Northern Territory slots into eighth spot for happiness in Australia. While the NT scored high for personal relationships, feelings of safety and achieving in life, it rated lower for other wellbeing aspects like health, standard of living and future security. Remote communities face greater disadvantage and barriers to accessing services.
9. Australian Capital Territory
The ACT emerges as the happiest part of the country. The ACT rated highly across subjective wellbeing, life satisfaction and positive emotion measures. It has the highest average life satisfaction rating in Australia at 8.2 out of 10. Almost 38% of ACT residents gave a life satisfaction score of 9 or 10, compared to the national average of just over 30%. The territory also ranked first for personal wellbeing in the domains of community, future security, health and standard of living.
Key Factors Influencing Happiness in Australia
Digging deeper, what are the key factors that seem to make some areas of Australia happier than others?
Economic Prosperity
Wealth and income significantly influence life satisfaction. The happiest areas like the ACT, WA and NSW have higher average incomes and socio-economic advantage compared to the rest of the country. Being able to afford a comfortable standard of living lifts happiness.
Employment Opportunities
Places with greater employment availability tend to have happier citizens. A sense of purpose along with financial security contributes to wellbeing. The top 10 happiest locations have lower unemployment rates on average.
Community Connectedness
Feelings of belonging and support link strongly to greater wellbeing. The happiest states have higher rates of volunteering and community participation. Their populations also report higher personal wellbeing scores for community connection.
Access to Services
Happier parts of Australia tend to offer greater access to critical services like healthcare, childcare, and social support. This enables residents to get their needs met more easily. Rural and remote areas often lag on access to services.
Natural Amenities
Proximity to coastline, green spaces and recreation opportunities promotes happiness. Australians are renowned for their love of outdoor lifestyle. Places like Queensland and Tasmania do well on this front.
Culture and Lifestyle
A laidback, outdoorsy lifestyle also lifts happiness, which coastal and sunnier states tend to epitomize. While hard to quantify, this cultural identity contributes to quality of life satisfaction.
Personality Differences
Research shows our innate personality traits can predispose us to greater happiness or unhappiness. Some parts of Australia may attract certain personality types that are more positive in nature. However, the impacts of personality are complex.
The Bottom Line
While Australians enjoy enviable happiness levels overall, some parts of the country tend to have more satisfied, cheerful residents than others. The Australian Capital Territory emerges as Australia’s happiest area based on life satisfaction, wellbeing and positive emotion metrics. Sunny coastal states like Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania also have very contented populations. Wealth, community, lifestyle and services appear the biggest drivers differentiating the happiest locales. However, Australians benefit from living in one of the world’s most developed nations already well-placed for quality of life.