Münsterland is one of the three happiest regions in Germany. Compared to all regions in North Rhine-Westphalia, people in Münsterland are even the happiest. This is shown by the SKL Happiness Atlas from 2023, with the Münsterland achieving a satisfactory score of 7.23 on a scale of 0 to 10 points. In Germany as a whole, life satisfaction in the measurement period (August 2022 - June 2023) was 6.92 points; before the coronavirus pandemic, it was 7.14 points.
The Happiness Atlas is the most up-to-date regular study on life satisfaction in Germany. SKL (Süddeutsche Klassenlotterie) has been a partner of the Happiness Atlas since 2023; until the end of 2021, it was published by Deutsche Post. Prof Bernd Raffelhüschen from the University of Freiburg is the scientific director. The survey covered, for example, satisfaction in the areas of work, income, family and health, as well as the impact of inflation and the war in Ukraine. Further information on the study is available at www.skl-gluecksatlas.de.
A closer look at 32 regions in Germany reveals major differences in happiness between the federal states. The regions marked in dark blue are particularly happy, while the regions marked in light blue are less happy. In 2023, Münsterland is the third happiest region in Germany with 7.23 points - just behind the happy regions of Bavaria South (7.23 points) and Holstein (7.36 points). North Rhine-Westphalia has a total of 7.00 points, while Germany as a whole has 6.92 points.