This is the happiest place to live in the UK, says Royal Mail's Happiness Index 2019

From Country Living

When it comes to living in an environment that makes us happy, Winchester is the place to be.

The historic Hampshire city has topped the Royal Mail UK Happiness Index, which has identified the happiest places across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales from a survey carried out earlier in 2019.

The research measured eight factors linked to happiness:

• reported personal well-being

• life expectancy

• earnings

• inequality

• carbon emissions

• crime

• deprivation

• access to health services

The high score of Winchester, which offers both city life and proximity to the surrounding countryside, was largely driven by the local authority’s high earnings, a high reported sense of well-being from residents and low levels of deprivation. But it wasn't the only area in the south east to perform well.

Five other local authorities from the region ranked in the top ten, with Babergh, a rural area in Suffolk, placed in second thanks to its low carbon emissions and good access to health services.

In Scotland, East Renfrewshire topped the list. The council area scores in the 90th percentile across all local authorities in the UK for earnings, pushing it up amongst local authorities in the country.

Monmouthshire took first place in Wales, with the highest life expectancy, earnings and low levels of crime and deprivation. In Ireland, all top five local authorities were found to have a "very similar overall index". The outer suburbs of Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh were named the most cheerful, thanks to low level of carbon emissions and good access to health services.

See the full rankings from the Royal Mail's UK index below:

England

1. Winchester

2. Babergh

3. Rushcliffe

4. Chiltern

5. Ribble Valley

6. Waverley

7. Forest Heath

8. Surrey Heath

9. Elmbridge

10. Epsom and Ewell

Scotland

1. East Renfrewshire

2. East Dunbartonshire

3. Aberdeenshire

4. Stirling

5. Scottish Borders

6. Midlothian

7. East Lothian

8. Highland

9. South Ayrshire

10. Shetland Islands

Wales

1. Monmouthshire

2. Vale of Glamorgan

3. Ceredigion

4. Carmarthenshire

5. Pembrokeshire

6. Bridgend

7. Neath Port Talbot

8. Cardiff

9. Torfaen

10. Powys

Northern Ireland

1. Lisburn and Castlereagh

2. Newry, Mourne and Down

3. Causeway Coast and Glens

4. Ards and North Down

5. Mid Ulster

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