Scotland's happiest place named as it receives 'gold' award - see full global list

New research has revealed the 'happiest' cities around the world, and one Scottish destination has made the list.

Experts at the Institute for Quality of Life have compiled a list of the 250 happiest cities across the globe, and Edinburgh appears in the top 15.

Each city was analysed on "thousands of indicators" that directly relate to the quality of life and the sense of happiness of its residents. These were then grouped into five broad categories that each city was scored on: citizens, governance, environment, economy, and mobility.

According to the experts, Edinburgh is the 15th happiest city in the world, receiving a 'gold' award. Scotland's capital was assigned individual scores of 365.6 for its citizens, 369.6 for its governance, 365.7 for its economy, 310.1 for its environment, and 256.8 for its mobility for an overall score of 1667.8.

Topping the overall list as the happiest city in the world, according to the Institute for Quality of Life, is Aarhus in Denmark. Famous for its museums and unique architecture, the city was assigned an overall score of 1749.2 and individual ratings of 384.2 for its citizens, 339.3 for its governance, 343.1 for its economy, 366.4 for its environment, and 316.2 for its mobility.

Elsewhere on the list, Glasgow appears at number 134 with a 'bronze' award. Scotland's biggest city earned an overall score of 1415.8, with individual ratings of 323.6 for its citizens, 272.6 for its governance, 262.7 for its economy, 307.6 for its environment, and 249.3 for its mobility.

No other city in Scotland appears in the Institute for Quality of Life's list of the top 250 happiest cities. Elsewhere in the UK, however, Bristol places ahead of Edinburgh in seventh place, while London also received a gold award.

In second place is Zurich in Switzerland, with an overall score of 1737. Rounding out the top five are Berlin in Germany, Gothenburg in Sweden, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with scores of 1720.6, 1719.5, and 1718.5.

See below for a list of the top 20 happiest cities in the world according to the Institute for Quality of Life. Meanwhile, the full list of cities to receive gold, silver, and bronze awards can be found on the Happy City Index website.

The top 20 'happiest' cities in the world

1. Aarhus

2. Zurich

3. Berlin

4. Gothenburg

5. Amsterdam

6. Helsinki

7. Bristol

8. Copenhagen

9. Geneva

10. Munich

11. Stockholm

12. Rotterdam

13. Oulu

14. Vienna

15. Edinburgh

16. Reykjavik

17. Aalborg

18. Minneapolis

19. Basel

20. Alesund

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to the Scotland Now newsletter here.