POLITICO Northern Europeans most satisfied with life in cities Inhabitants of Vilnius are the most satisfied of all EU capitals.

People living in cities in northern Europe are generally more satisfied with life than those living in the southern part, according to a report published Wednesday by the EU's statistics office Eurostat.

Of all capital cities in the EU, inhabitants of Vilnius were the most satisfied, when asked about issues such as health employment, environment, housing, transport, culture, city services and immigration.

Ninety-eight percent of people living in the Lithuanian capital said they were content in 2015, up from 93 percent in 2012.

Stockholm and Copenhagen both came a close second, with 97 percent of residents saying they are happy with life in the Nordic capitals. Vienna and Luxembourg (both 96 percent) completed the top five.

The lowest satisfaction rates were recorded in Athens. Seventy-one percent of the people living in the Greek capital said they were satisfied with their lives, though it went up from 56 percent in 2012, making it the largest increase among all EU capitals. Rome (80 percent), Bucharest and Paris (both at 83 percent) ended among the bottom five.

Compared to 2012, most respondents said they were satisfied with life in their city, but overall satisfaction dropped in Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, Paris and Helsinki.

The survey on the Perception of Quality of Life in European Cities was conducted by the European Commission, in a total of 83 EU cities, towns and suburbs.

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