IS DENMARK REALLY THE WORLD'S HAPPIEST COUNTRY? (Copenhagen)

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Supposedly the happiest country on earth. At first glance, it's not so hard to believe, especially in the summer. Tall blondes lounge at picturesque urban beaches or glide by on bicycles past postcard-perfect canals and stately architecture. Here, there's free healthcare, free education, and the social safety net is strong. Of course, taxes are the highest in the world, but on the ground, it kind of does feel like everything works and nothing hurts. Or does it? We've come here to find out. Are the Danes really as happy as everyone says? We are currently in Nyholm. If you see a postcard of Denmark, it's most likely that you're going to be seeing this scenery. These very charming townhouses painted in pastel colors. This used to be a bustling commercial port in the 17th century, and a lot of the houses you see here were built between the 17th and 18th centuries as homes for merchants and tradesmen. Over time, they were converted to brothels, and this was a very hectic red-light district. But today is the most touristic area in Copenhagen, and you see canal boat tours constantly passing by all day, every day. It's very crowded, lots of restaurants. This is our first time in Denmark, and as an American, I'm very curious about the way of life here. Denmark is known for being very successful. There's universal health care, free education, the lowest working hours in Europe, and the people are rumored to be very, very happy. In fact, Denmark has ranked consistently as the happiest country in the world for a while now. So during our time here, we're going to be finding out if that is true, and just learn more about what it's like to live here. After a short time in Copenhagen, my first impressions are that things are very clean and safe and orderly. The air is fresh, the people are very tall and physically fit. I think the people here are the tallest in the world, and everybody bikes everywhere. There's something like 400 kilometers of bike lanes in the city that are separated from the roads, and as a result, there's very few cars here for a big city. And yeah, it just feels like things work here. It is a very sunny day out, as you can see, and the Danes are out and about. The summer is a very special time here because this part of Europe gets very dark and cold in the winter. So when the sun comes out, people are excited. We are in the center of the city, and as you can see, people are hanging out, swimming, boating, eating at outdoor food courts. It's a great vibe here. You could find yourself worse places than Copenhagen in the summertime. Back in the 90s, Copenhagen set out to transform its polluted harbor into a place where people could actually swim, investing heavily in the effort. Three decades later, the results speak for themselves. Danes lounge at pop-up beaches right in the urban center, giving Copenhagen a dreamy, almost storybook quality in the summertime. We've made it to one of the many urban beaches alongside the canal here in Copenhagen. They cleaned up the harbor in the 90s, I believe, but back in the 80s, this was very polluted. You definitely would not want to swim here, and it's just something super unique about Copenhagen. You definitely don't find stuff like this elsewhere in the world, and it goes to show how the city really prioritizes its people with little initiatives and investments like this that make the city a really pleasant place to live. Okay, I come burying the goods. These very cheap apple spritzes. Every time, it's like you spend $30 here. Says Denmark, but they are really delicious. Okay, so Mark, are you from Copenhagen? I am from Copenhagen. Born and raised? Born and raised. And did you come here directly from work? I did. I did. I needed to cool down. So the rumor I hear is that the Danes are the happiest people on earth. Yeah. What do you think about this statement? I think all Scandinavians are happy because we have a secure system and have healthcare and education, and we don't have to pay tuition like you're from the U.S. So I think that maybe gives us some carefree attitude about life. Yeah, I agree because I'm from the U.S., and I feel even if I'm doing well and employed, I feel like consistent anxiety, because if, let's say, I get in an accident and I don't have insurance for a little bit, you know, it could take like everything that I have. Yeah, and also I think we are just happy because we just have a good time here, and people are friendly, and there's not much crime. Yeah, it's very safe. I feel very safe walking on the streets here. You see children walking alone on the streets here, which in America would like never happen. What's the average tax rate in Scandinavia? The average is probably close to 38, 37, and if you work hard, it goes up. So when you have a system like this, I feel like you have to have a lot of trust in your government. Do you trust the Danish government? I do. I actually do. Like, I'm like at 80, 85, 90 percent. That's good, and America is definitely not that high. I think some Americans would say we're like communists, but it's not like that. We do have money to spend and have a good life. I'm just happy. I don't know what to say. Okay, so you're one of the happy people. Yeah. You come to Copenhagen, chances are you're going to be riding one of these guys, and it is the best way to get around. There's something like 350 kilometers of fully separated bike lanes in the city, and there's a lot of bike-only lanes as well, so it's very, very safe. Even if you're a completely amateur cyclist, you're going to do fine here. There are way more bikes in the city than cars, so much so that for a major city, there really is no traffic at all, even during rush hour. So when I first got here, it was a bit strange because the city was so quiet at all hours, and I realized it's because people just don't have the need to drive at all. I think it's the only major city I've been to where there isn't gridlock traffic pretty much at all hours of the day. It's very nice. It gives it a very calm, peaceful atmosphere. I really love the biking personally because it just naturally builds in a little bit of activity into your every day. So not only is it super easy to get around, you're getting some movement in. Biking gives the city a really wholesome feeling. You have little kids on bicycles. You have people with big carts connected to their bikes where they have their kids, their dogs, or even their friends. Everybody bikes together. Friends bike together to go do different social activities and stuff, and something very unique about Copenhagen. I like it a lot personally. Also, don't try this at home, kids. This filming while biking. We're going to take a quick pause to thank the sponsor of today's video, Level 8 Luggage. We have been using Level 8 for a while now and are truly obsessed. They are just very durable, well-designed luggage, and they've made our travel days so much easier. My personal favorite feature is the quiet 360-degree spinner wheels. Even when luggage is completely overweight, they still glide effortlessly across any surface. We carry a lot of camera equipment, and Level 8 keeps everything safe. Also, they're really smartly designed so we can actually put our personal items right on top of the bags. So we don't even need those airport carts anymore because Level 8 bags actually work better. We use the Voyager set, which comes with this very spacious check-in bag and this sleek carry-on. Between these two, we fit literally everything we need to travel full-time. So if you're looking for your next go-to luggage, head to level8cases.com. The colors are gorgeous, the quality incredible, and they fit so much inside. Use our code DOTSONAMAP for an exclusive 10% off. Copenhagen is safe, peaceful, orderly, but tucked right into its center, next to the city's most famous sights, is something completely unexpected. Freetown Kristiania, a neighborhood built outside the system with its own set of rules. We are in Freetown Kristiania. This is a self-declared autonomous district in the heart of Copenhagen. For a long time, this place was very notorious, specifically for drug dealing. You couldn't come and film here and it had kind of a bad reputation within the city. Things have changed a lot within the last year. Pusher Street, which is the most notorious drug dealing street, was dismantled and a lot of government investment went to upgrade the area. So now anyone can come here. It feels very different from the rest of the city, almost like its own world, but I cannot stress enough how it is literally in the heart of Copenhagen. So it's incredibly interesting that Freetown Kristiania exists at all. For all its notoriety, Freetown remains a symbol of freedom in Copenhagen, a community that successfully governed itself for decades. And did I mention it's beautiful here? At its center is a lake, surrounded by quiet footpaths and homes built by residents. Walking by the lake, it's very interesting. It almost feels like we're in a nature reserve because you have the beautiful waterfront. A lot of these houses, I don't think were built according to building codes in Denmark, so they kind of have a DIY vibe. But this is the center of Copenhagen, like we are smack down in the middle of the city right now. This beautiful home even has a self-service vintage market, and it's fully based on a trust system. So if you want something, you can pay with mobile pay and just take what you want. Okay, so what are your names? Erik and Kasper. Kasper, okay, nice to meet you. So are Danish people the happiest people in the world, as is rumored? From far away, yeah, we're the most happy ones, but I think behind that, there's a lot of sadness too because in Denmark, a lot of people, they have a hard pressure on themselves because education, for example, is one of the most important things. So everything's about how high in the potential are you, and where are you in the community. So there's a lot of pressure, basically, like you feel a lot of societal pressure to like perform a certain way at school and maybe follow like a trajectory of life. So in Denmark, we also have something called Jandelong, which means you cannot be better than someone, so everyone is on the same level. You have ambition, people will always push you down and try to say you're not as good as you think or you're not the best in the world. So there's a lot of, basically, like judgment from society, so there's a lot, you kind of have to conform, it sounds like. Do people step out of the line, like what happens when they do? Do you have to be kind of brave to do that? Yeah, you have to be brave. People will just look down on you and say, well, why are you like that? They will not like you and they will choose to go other ways or they will maybe not speak to you. Do you feel like the taxes are fair? Like, are you happy to pay into the tax system, pay higher taxes? Do you feel like you're getting a lot? The problem when you have a system like ours, it's based on, we hope that you do the best you can do and you are honest. A few years ago, we were cheated by 7 billion Danish crowns for someone in Dubai, and when people like those, they get our hard-earning taxes back without doing anything, just saying, we bought these stocks, then I think it's a really shitty thing that we pay so much in taxes. But when you get a free education, you also like it. So would you say you're happy to be Danish? Denmark has a lot of potential for the next years, because we also use a lot of money on educating people and on new companies and that stuff. So yeah, I'm happy to be Danish. However, I think there is something you need to change in the systems. I think that's the same in every country that has a system. But would you say, generally speaking, that you trust the government here? Last week, we had a big documentary about how the police, they are looking on journalists' things, on their work and to get information. So without having any warrant and that stuff. So yeah, some of the system is great, but other things, I don't know. I think they use their power too much. Who's a good boy? Oh, he's so handsome, bro. This is Håk, one-year-old King Corso, the most handsome boy in Freetown, Kristiania. I'm really happy we came here to Freetown, Kristiania. It's been a really good experience. We've met a lot of very nice people who have been very open about talking to us. And I know things have changed here in the last year. The government has interfered, perhaps the neighborhood has gentrified quite a bit, so it's not the same. But I feel like it's a really special place within Copenhagen, where you have really good energy. And, you know, we hear from locals here that outside of Freetown, it's not the same as here, in the sense that people are just very warm here. So I'm really happy we got to come here and experience it for ourselves. We're at a bar that our Danish friend recommended. It's a little bit old-school, maroon walls, wallpaper. You can still smoke in here. It definitely feels like you're in another era. We've gotten a bar snack. It's very interesting. It is literally a hard-boiled egg served with a little dish of salt, pepper, and mustard. And this is apparently very traditional. Sailors used to eat this when they were drinking at bars. And apparently, it's the last bar in the city that serves this snack. Allegedly. What's your name? My name is Peter. Peter, nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you too. Okay, so you're performing today. Yeah. And you're a jazz musician. I'm a jazz musician, yes. What's your instrument? I play jazz guitar. And you were born and raised in Copenhagen? Yeah, I was born and raised here, yeah. And is it good being a musician here in Denmark? I think it's everywhere. It's the same everywhere, actually. You have to have some savings to play jazz. It's really expensive. So a rumor we've heard is that Danish people are the happiest in the world. What do you think about this? I think it's a question of how to compare that. But I think when it comes to social security and safety in that way, it's very, very good. I mean, we have free hospitals. You can get a heart surgery or a heart transplant if you don't pay for it. You can study to become a doctor or an engineer and don't pay for it, which is quite unique. Yeah, really. I hear you actually get paid to go to university. Yeah, you get paid, yeah. And then the students even complain about it. I mean, it's nice. In the U.S., we are in debt six figures when we graduate. When I told my American colleagues on the cruise ship, they were laughing. It's like, did you hear what Peter said? They didn't believe it. So it's very unique. You're completely safe here. Yeah, so here there's no sense of anxiety. There's no crime. In Norway, it's very, very low. You can walk in the night. So the government kind of has your back if you are in between jobs or you get sick. You don't have to worry about losing everything and also the safety aspect. I think it works so well because Denmark is so small. We're very united, I think. But it's cool. I think it's really unique what you have here. It is. So people who want to come to visit Denmark, it's great. Would you say you're generally happy with the country? I am, I am. Especially because I visited so many countries, like Colombia or Asia, and you see how poor people are. You see the difference and you appreciate coming home. Well, that's great. Okay. Thank you so much for talking with us. You're welcome. Just minutes away from downtown Copenhagen is Amar, a once-industrial island of shipyards and warehouses. Today, it's a dynamic district, home to creative hubs like the Refn Food Market, harbor baths and waterfront wine bars, and spa facilities like this one, where you can experience the Scandinavian tradition of heating up in a sauna and cooling off with an icy plunge. We are at Copenhot. It's a very nice spa facility here in Copenhagen by the water. It is a beautiful day out, so I'm very excited. We're going to have a relaxing afternoon. You can book private saunas here. We got the Panorama sauna, which has a nice view, and it's very cool. It can be a very social thing. You can invite a few friends, come hang out at the facilities here. They have a lot of regulars, a lot of tourists who partake, and we really love to sauna because it just feels amazing. For me, it feels very relaxing. My mind is always just running away with itself. And being in a hot sauna, it's the one thing that really slows me down. And I really love it as part of my own wellness routine, so I'm happy we get to do it here. It's a very special place to try it out. This is so nice. Copenhagen is considered one of the most sustainable capital cities in the world, and outside the window of the sauna is one example of why. This very interesting building over here that almost looks like a giant slide with the tower, this is a waste processing factory. And the factory is able to generate energy from this waste processing and use it throughout the city. And on top of the building there is a ski slope. Right now, it looks more like a park or something like that, but you can go skiing on top of there. And the building is very interesting and actually looks quite nice. All right, Rasmus, how often do you come in the sauna? Well, I'm so lucky that I've worked with saunas, so I do it a couple of times a week, probably, I would say. So would you say sauna-ing is a big part of the culture here in Denmark? Do a lot of people do it? A lot of people do it, and especially within the last 10, 15 years, it's really been a big thing. So why would you say that the people here are so into this wellness culture? In general, we are very concerned about health in Denmark, in the Nordic countries in general. And a cold climate, you need it to have a sauna, just to keep warm. So the rumor we often hear is that people in Denmark are the happiest in the world. Yeah, I think we're in second place right now. Do you agree with that? Do you think that's true? It's hard to say when you live here. We also complain about a lot of things, and it's how do you measure happiness? I think that's very difficult to measure. But in general, I think we have a good society here. It's not so one way or the other. What is your favorite part about your culture? What do you like about living here? Oh, I think it's this thing that we try to be a little bit in the middle of everything, both political and socially. So it's like we don't go completely in one direction. Okay, yeah, somebody has that opinion. Somebody has that opinion. Let's meet in the middle. And then, of course, we have the Danish word, hygge. You gotta love that. The hot and then the cold, and mixing up with the temperatures. Yeah. And it somehow makes you feel really good. When you're in the sauna or in a hot tub, your blood veins expand, actually, so you get a better blood flow around your body. And then when you come into this, basically, what happens is your body and your mind goes like, this is cold, this is water, I need to get out. But as soon as you start controlling that, your body will start working to pump the blood around to keep you warm. Yeah, I really like it, too. So if you're in Copenhagen, definitely check out something like this. This one's called Copenhot, Little Siberia. Life could definitely be worse right now. We are at Sjøndmen. It is one of the most popular traditional Danish restaurants in Copenhagen. They're booked out for, like, weeks ahead, and we came to test our luck, and fortunately, we were able to get a table. This is the type of place where a Danish friend of ours says that his mom and grandmother ate at. It's been here since 1877, so it's a very historic place. Thank you very much, appreciate it. All right, skål. Schnaps. 40 to 45% alcoholic content. Very strong. Salud! I'll put a little hair on your chest. We are here for smørrebrød, which is kind of a Danish national dish. It's very popular. It's usually eaten for lunch, and it is an open-faced rye bread sandwich with different toppings. This smørrebrød is with herring and mustard and dill and bacon, and this is a breaded and fried egg. So I'm just gonna go for it. I'm gonna try to get a bite with everything. All right, cheers. The herring is cured and salted, and it's very savory. It's got a little tang, and the raw onion adds, like, a nice bite to it. It's really good. Lots of nice textures as well with the breaded egg. So good. Such a strong start. I've noticed they really like dill in this country. So you'll find dill in a lot of different foods. And I like dill, so I'm down with that. Smørrebrød number two. Warm salmon with shaved fennel, and this is a lemon cream. Dill, of course. Don't mind if I do. I think one of the challenges of eating smørrebrød is getting all the ingredients in one neat bite. All right, cheers. Oh my god, it's so good. The salmon is so fresh. That cream is cool and rich and delicious. A little bit of acidity from the lemon. Last but not least, we got this very magnificent beef tartare with a poached egg on top, served with chives and this rye bread over here. She's beautiful. She's really beautiful. Damn. Cheers. It's so good, like everything else we've had so far. I gotta say, this place changed my perception of Danish food. Summer in Copenhagen is full of surprises. Every June, a 200-year-old tradition sweeps through the city. It looks a little different than what you might think. For one weekend, hundreds of party trucks take to the streets, graduates piled in the back. And the soundtrack of choice seems to be early 2000s hip-hop from the U.S. Is it high school or college? It's high school. High school. So they are 19-ish. Yeah, okay. We see them all over the city. It's today and tomorrow. That's the biggest place. It's always popular with tourists, so they visit every home of everybody in the class. Oh, that's what they do. So it started about noon and they end about midnight. Wow, yeah, lots of houses to go to. And what are the hats? They're really special. They look like sailor hats. That's a traditional for graduation from high school. A very old tradition. That's a very old tradition. Almost 200 years. 200 years? Oh, okay. Do you know how it started? There were some Swedish students actually visiting Copenhagen, and they were wearing some hats. At that time, everybody was wearing hats. So they were integrated into the Danish student society at that time, and then it evolved. And now they're all different colors for what reason, you said? So like different specialties? Okay. Oh, that's really interesting. They're very drunk. They drink. Yeah. Yeah, we guessed that, yeah. We assumed that was part of the deep tradition. Back at one of the many urban beaches in the city, we enjoy a leisurely Wednesday afternoon surrounded by Danes playing hooky from work. Our friend Anthony is with us. A recent transplant from the U.S. We were curious about his experience living in Denmark so far and how it compares. What made you decide to move to Copenhagen? My girlfriend's Danish, so obviously love is the main reason why I moved here. And, you know, quality of life in Copenhagen compared to the U.S. is primarily the main reason why we decided now was the right time to move. What were the core quality of life reasons why you moved here? First and foremost, like for where we are in our lives, work-life balance is huge in Denmark or in Copenhagen. And the Danish work culture really values, you know, your time. It belongs to you compared to the U.S. You might only get two to three weeks off a year. Like Danes are mandated five weeks by their government. Okay, you got your first job here. Are you ready for the Danish taxes? The notoriously high tax system here. Yeah, I think it's not the most exciting part. But at the same time, you know, it's a way of life here. And if you want to, you know, be a part of this system, you also have to be able to contribute to the system. And there's a rumor that Danes are the happiest people on earth. Coming in with your American perspective and being with a Danish partner, why do you think that rumor exists? Yeah, I think Danes have like really strong traditions and values. And I think the reason why they're the happiest people is because they've created a world where they can enjoy those traditions and values to its fullest potential. Yeah, do you really think Danes are the happiest people on earth? I think they are. Yeah. Yeah, they make it so, I guess, like so livable. Like, you know, public transportation is great. Biking is amazing. Everyone is so healthy and like takes advantage of the outdoors here. Health care is taken care of. It's safe. It's super safe. You don't really ever see homeless people here. So basically, you're saying like in the U.S., we're recommended to have, you know, like a six month emergency fund here. Like, you don't really need that because... You always have the safety net here. Yeah, you always have the safety net here. OK, so as Americans, maybe our trust in the government isn't necessarily at an all time, all the time, or it's like kind of a polarizing topic. How does that compare to here as far as like the Danish folks trust in the system? Coming from America, I have... I question the government a little bit more. And I think the Danish society and community, like they really have trust in their government. And they believe that everything that the government is doing is in their best interest. And if it's not, of course, like they can decide to have a vote for a new government or a new leader. Could you see a system like this working in the U.S. at all? No. Yeah, I don't think so either. I think just the taxes would get people like up in arms. I just think we're like too big of a country. So is Denmark really the happiest place on earth? Of course, nowhere is perfect. Every country has its problems. But talking to the people here, you notice a quiet contentment that's rare to find elsewhere. I suppose if you're going to be born somewhere, you could do a lot worse than here.