Famous for its incredible vistas of towering mountains and glittering lakes, Austria has been applauded as the “happiest country in the world” based on factors including “quality of life”, “average salary” and “safety”. The landlocked nation sits in the heart of Europe and is home to a selection of enchanting cities, such as the capital of Vienna, and fairytale villages including Alpbach (once voted Austria’s most beautiful village).

Recent research conducted by Casino.com analysed global data, focusing on average salaries, unemployment rates, crime rates, sunshine hours, and average retirement ages to reveal the happiest countries around the world. They awarded a happiness score of 7.26 out of a possible 10 to Austria, placing it in the number one position.

The research differs slightly from the World Happiness Report 2024, which named Finland as the “happiest country in the world”. However, Austria still ranked highly according to the official World Happiness Report 2024, coming in as the 14th happiest country globally.

Casino.com’s research explained that Austria scored highly in the main factors it analysed. The report stated: “Austria scores relatively highly across the board, placing in the top 10 for four of the six factors we looked at.

“Quality of life in Austria is high, with an average annual salary of £50,436 and a retirement age of 62.5, sharing second place for the factor in our rankings.”

Austria has also been named as the fifth most peaceful country in the world, based on the most recent World Peace Index by Vision of Humanity. The nation followed Iceland, Denmark, Ireland and New Zealand.

Austria’s capital city of Vienna, though home to more than two million people, is safe both to live and visit. The capital of Austria has a low level of crime and its reliable public transport system provides a safe means of getting around – even at night.

The city is known for its beautiful palaces and, in the winter, it is bursting with the twinkling lights of Christmas markets.

Away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, the village of Alpbach has won the title of “Austria’s Most Beautiful Village” thanks to its uniform, traditional wooden architecture and its abundance of colourful flowers.

The rustic mountain village sits in the Alpbach Valley, approximately five hours from Vienna.

During the summer, if the calming waters of a blue lake are calling your name, there are more than 400 bathing lakes to choose from.

One of the most beautiful of these is Lake Achensee in Tirol, just 45 minutes by car from Innsbruck. The lake is sometimes referred to as “Tirol’s ocean” and was carved out of the Alps by glaciers more than 20,000 years ago.