Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Smaller German cities dominate a new happiness ranking, with the Thuringian capital, Erfurt, taking top spot
- Larger hubs such as Berlin and Munich fare less well, while the northern port of Rostock came bottom
- German exports have beaten expectations, rising for the third month in succession
- Strong demand from Europe and the US has offset weaker trade with China
Here are the latest headlines from and about Germany on Tuesday, June 9 2026:
Skip next section German exports rise in surprise third monthly gain06/09/2026June 9, 2026
German exports rise in surprise third monthly gain
German exports have risen for a third consecutive month, unexpectedly defying forecasts despite global strain from the Iran war.
Data published by the Federal Statistics Office showed that exports increased 0.9% in April from the previous month, beating expectations for a 0.5% decline.
Exports reached €136.6 billion ($157.7 billion), supported by demand from Europe and the United States. Economists surveyed by the news agency Reuters had anticipated a drop after gains of 0.3% in March and 3.6% in February.
Exports to EU countries climbed 1.0% to 79.1 billion. Shipments to the United States rose 1.8% to €11.4 billion, while exports to China fell 3.5% to €5.8 billion.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5F3ZsSkip next section Smaller cities top Germany’s happiness rankings06/09/2026June 9, 2026
Smaller cities top Germany’s happiness rankings
Erfurt has been crowned as the happiest of Germany’s 40 biggest cities, jumping to the top of a nationwide survey.
The SKL Happiness Atlas shows the Thuringian capital rising from sixth place to the top. Former leader Kassel slumped to 13th spot in the annual survey.
While Düsseldorf, Germany’s seventh-largest city, came in third place, smaller cities tended to pack the higher rankings. Augsburg in Bavaria, Krefeld in western Germany and the northern city of Kiel made up the rest of the top five.
Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, rated a solid tenth. However, the Bavarian capital, Munich, was joint 24th alongside Leipzig, and Berlin found itself sharing 35th place with Nuremberg.
Erfurt led with a score of 7.74 out of 10, while the northern port city of Rostock was rated last by a wide margin: 5.8 compared to the next unhappiest town of Wiesbaden on 6.5.
Regional divides persisted. Western cities scored highest on average, while eastern cities lagged despite modest gains. Cities in the northwestern state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous in Germany, posted some of the largest improvements.
Researchers said Erfurt displayed some key strengths, including a relatively solid economy compared with other eastern German cities. Low rents in comparison with larger places, as well as strong environmental quality, also played a role.
“Indicators of material prosperity do not fully capture people’s happiness,” said study author Bernd Raffelhüschen of the University of Freiburg. “Intangible factors such as a sense of community and personal identification with one’s place of residence also play a major role.”
Pollsters from the Allensbach Institute research group carried out the survey for the SKL state lottery association.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5F3Q5Skip next section Welcome to our coverage06/09/2026June 9, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Richard Connor | Sean Sinico Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn, which ranks as Germany’s 15th happiest city according to a new survey. That’s five places above our larger nearby neighbor, Cologne, by the way.
Satisfaction rankings for Germany’s 40 biggest towns showed that the capital of the state of Thuringia, Erfurt, has the happiest residents in Germany.
In general, the results showed that the residents of smaller cities appeared to be happier than those in places like Berlin and Munich.
Follow our live updates to find out why. And stick with us here for more of the stories that Germany is talking about.
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