Why Quebec is the happiest province across Canada: survey
Posted July 11, 2025 1:12 pm.
Last Updated July 11, 2025 5:40 pm.
Turns out, happiness isn’t just a feeling — it is also a place. And it’s here in Quebec, according to Léger’s latest happiness survey.
In fact, Quebec doesn’t just make the list, it beats out the rest of Canada, securing it’s spot in first place.
Across the country, the average happiness score is 68.7/100, and only three provinces manage to top that:
- Quebec (72.4)
- New Brunswick (70.2)
- Newfoundland and Labrador (69.5)
So, what’s the key to Quebecer’s happiness?
“Quebecers have a really like positive mindset in a way. We see things a lot more optimistically,” said one Montrealer.
“The je ne sais quoi, le joie de vivre. Good attitude of the people,” added another.
“We are French and English so we have both worlds, languages and vibes,” said one man.
According to Léger it is the province’s strong social cohesion, sense of belonging, culture and language.
The last poll surrounding happiness was conducted back in 2021, right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m a little surprised honestly. I feel like there’s a lot of things that are like it’s happening in like economy and everything so it surprises me that like one of the happiest like happy yes but one of the happiest… I’m a little surprised not gonna lie,” added one Montrealer.
The age group in Quebec that saw the biggest boost of good moods since then: 18 to 24-year-olds. Their happiness went from 63.1 to 68.7.
Meanwhile, the 45 to 54-year-old crowd across La Belle Province are the only ones to have experienced a slight dip in happiness — Léger recorded a decline of 0.2 between 2021 and 2025.
Happiness Canada-Wide
This is Léger’s 11th ranking of happy cities, but it is the first time that it got the whole country in the mix.
Over 36,000 Canadians were surveyed including nearly 20,000 from Quebec.
The questions asked:
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your level of happiness, all things considered?
- In the past year, would you say that your state or level of happiness has improved, stayed the same, or deteriorated?
The survey ran from March 31 to April 13, 2025, and was weighted by gender, age, and Canadian province or Quebec administrative region in order to ensure a representative sample of the population.
