New report: Stockholmers believe in the city’s growth – but are less certain it will lead to a better life
Stockholmers expect their city to continue growing. But will that growth translate into better lives? The latest Wellbeing Index Stockholm shows a clear gap between expectations for Stockholm’s development and expectations for what that development will mean for people’s quality of life.
Stockholm’s Wellbeing Index reached 6.90 out of 10 in the second quarter of 2026, a slight increase from both the previous quarter (6.79) and the same quarter last year (6.82). Wellbeing also remains relatively equally distributed across the population.
The Wellbeing Index is CWWH’s quarterly measure of how people in Stockholm experience their lives – in terms of overall quality of life, happiness, meaning and richness. By tracking the index over time, we aim to make wellbeing growth a measurable goal alongside economic growth.
The latest report focuses on how Stockholm residents view the city’s future. Expectations that Stockholm and its population will continue to grow are clearly positive. Views on the economy, future job opportunities and the possibilities of living a happy, meaningful and rich life are considerably more cautious.
The results highlight an important distinction: growth in itself does not necessarily translate into expectations of a better life.
Future outlook also differs between groups. Younger Stockholmers are more pessimistic about future job opportunities than older residents, and differences can also be seen between employment groups.
At the same time, the way people view the future matters. A more positive outlook is associated with higher wellbeing, particularly the belief that Stockholm will offer opportunities to live a meaningful, happy and rich life.
There are also some encouraging signs compared with last year. Among the four TACK factors – which together explain just over 74 percent of Stockholmers’ wellbeing – togetherness and positive outlook are significantly higher than in the same quarter of 2025.
So, could Stockholm become the happiest city in the world? Around one in four Stockholmers believe it could, while six in ten believe that the rest of the world already sees Stockholm as a happy city. Those who believe Stockholm could become the happiest city in the world also report higher wellbeing than those who do not.
The new report is the fifth quarterly Wellbeing Index Stockholm report from the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics.
Read the full Wellbeing Index Stockholm Q2 2026 report here.
