The 2025 German Happiness Atlas ranks Rheinland-Pfalz, home to the Kaiserslautern Military Community, among the top three states for life satisfaction. (CC0)

Residents of Rheinland-Pfalz, home to the Kaiserslautern Military Community, are among the happiest in Germany, according to the 2025 German Happiness Atlas published Monday.

The annual report by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research measures happiness levels among German citizens in all 16 federal states.

Rankings are based on both subjective self-assessments and objective indicators such as infrastructure, public safety and environmental quality.

Rheinland-Pfalz ranked third in subjective satisfaction and fourth in objective measures, rising from fifth place overall in 2024. Life satisfaction in the state has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to the report.

Although the survey includes only German citizens, the quality-of-life factors it reflects also benefit the American military community living in the region.

Hamburg and Bavaria held steady in first and second place. North Rhine-Westphalia remained fourth, while Schleswig-Holstein dropped from third to fifth.