Rio de Janeiro is the happiest city in the world, according to a survey carried out by financial magazine Forbes. Ten thousand people in 20 countries were interviewed to draw up the ranking, which placed Sydney, Australia in second place and Barcelona, Spain in third. Announcing the result, Forbes highlighted Rio’s landscape and its fun-loving people.

The spirit of celebration embodied by Brazilians and cariocas is one of the motivations behind Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Rio 2016 is committed to providing a unique experience for participants in the greatest sports event on the planet, uniting sport’s power of transformation with the city’s festive atmosphere.

The survey was conducted by policy advisor Simon Anholt and market researcher GfK Custom Research North America. According to Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, the result is further recognition of the city’s quality of life. “The world has discovered what we already knew: Rio is the best place to live and work. The city perfectly unites nature, culture and urban living. I’m proud to learn that the happiness of cariocas has won such fame,” said Paes.

Anholt notes that the results of his survey reflect the longstanding reputation of Mediterranean and Latin American cities as non-stop party locales. "Brazil is associated with all these qualities of good humor and good living and Carnaval," says Anholt. "Carnaval is very important – it's the classic image that people have of Rio, and it's an image of happiness."