A survey of 10,000 people from 29 countries throughout the world helped create the Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index of the happiest cities in the world.

We do wonder how happy the people of Madrid and Barcelona are now, considering the downturn of Spain’s economy.

Despite its size and influence, only one American city made the top ten list.

The happiest cities were determined using the index, which is primarily based on perception, but other factors were taken into account.

Using the index and Columbia University’s Earth institute World Happiness Report, the happiest cities were listed here.

**List created with information from GfK Custom Research, Forbes, Trip Advisor, and Columbia University’s Earth Institute.**