The Burrow
Aug 3, 2026
When it comes to our partners and our relationship with them, having a strong foundation of trust, happiness, and overall wellbeing is the key to a long and love-filled life. Once you find this balance, you can enjoy your partnership with greater peace of mind.
It may be surprising, but where you live in the world can significantly impact your relationship. Access to quality healthcare and health insurance can help reduce financial stress, support better overall wellbeing, and provide peace of mind for both partners, all of which can contribute to a stronger, longer-lasting relationship.
To find out which places across Europe, Australia, and the US have the best relationship success and quality of life, Compare the Market’s health insurance experts created the Happiest Couples Index. This study ranked European countries and Australian and US states using six equally measured factors that influence the wellbeing of couples, such as divorce rates by country and marriage statistics by country.
You can see the results to our 2025 study here.
The countries in our index that ranked the highest for relationship happiness scored high in wellbeing and in healthcare and ranked low on divorce rates.
Taking the top spot for the happiest couples was the Netherlands, with a striking score of 73.29 out of 100.00. This is heavily influenced by the country’s wellbeing score (73.83) and its overall healthcare score (89.79), which is one of the highest in Europe.
Solid access to the healthcare system helps Dutch couples to enjoy longer, healthier lives together. Combined with high wellbeing levels and a marriage rate of 3.80 people per 1,000, these factors suggest that many couples in the Netherlands are building lasting partnerships.
With one of the highest marriage rates in the entire index (5.00 per 1,000 people), it’s no surprise that Austria ranks as the second-best country for happiest couples. They also have one of the lower relationship search scores (77.30), meaning couples are not searching for relationship-repair advice or divorce procedures.
The only thing keeping Austria out of the top spot is that, despite its high marriage score, it also has a relatively high divorce score (40.00). So, even though a large portion of Austrian relationships end in marriage, a high portion of them also end in divorce.
Coming in third with an impressive index score of 70.25, Germany is another country in Europe that has some of the happiest couples in the world.
A high marriage score of 61.90 and a low divorce score of 33.33 make Germany one of the strongest countries for relationship stability. Combined with a healthcare score of 94.10, couples have access to the support and services needed to maintain healthy, long-term relationships.
Czechia ranks fourth in the Happiest Couples Index, helped by their relatively high healthcare score (80.71), which contributes to better overall wellbeing both in, and out of romantic relationships.
However, Czechia is held back by its high housing pressure score (100.00), which could be potentially putting more stress and pressure on couples. The nation also records a wellbeing score of 54.38, which is lower than several of the higher-ranking countries in the index.
Ireland ranks fifth in the Happiest Couples Index, with a total score of 64.96. The country’s strong performance is driven by its low relationship search score of 23.11, along with an impressive healthcare score of 94.50, one of the highest in the index.
However, Ireland’s results are held back by its marriage and divorce metrics. The country records a relatively low marriage score of 19.05 and a divorce score of 100.00. Ireland also records a mid-range wellbeing score of 59.55. Despite these challenges, its strong healthcare performance helps secure its place among the top five countries for couples.
To see where couples are happiest in Australia, we ranked every state and territory using the same methodology. The highest-performing locations are outlined below.
Tasmania ranks as the best state for couples in Australia, with a total index score of 79.00 out of 100. The state records a high marriage rate of410.42 per 100,000 people, and the second highest wellbeing score of 96.77, suggesting many couples enjoy stable and fulfilling relationships. Tasmania also boasts the second-highest healthcare score (53.68), once again suggesting that access to strong healthcare may contribute to relationship wellbeing.
Victoria ranks as the second-best state for happy couples in Australia, with an overall index score of 68.67 out of 100. The state recorded the second-highest marriage score (95.37), one of the lowest relationship search scores (83.59) and scored well for wellbeing (79.57).
However, Victoria was held back by a relatively low healthcare score of 7.33 and a high housing pressing score of 82.32. Despite these challenges, Victoria scored its place as one of the best states in Australia for couples.
New South Wales rounds out the top three Australian states for relationship happiness, with an overall index score of 65.47. The state recorded the highest marriage score in the country (100.00) and topped the rankings for overall wellbeing (100.00).
However, New South Wales was held back by its low healthcare and relatively high divorce scores compared to other top-performing states. Despite these challenges, its strong marriage and wellbeing results were enough to place it third overall.
We also analysed US states to determine where couples are happiest below:
North Dakota emerged as the best US state for couples, with an overall index score of 79.87 out of 100. The state performed particularly high for wellbeing (93.52 out of 100) and healthcare (76.52 out of 100), suggesting residents benefit from a strong quality of life and good access to healthcare, both of which can support healthier, more stable relationships.
The state also recorded a strong marriage score of 83.83 out of 100 and a moderate divorce score of 57.14 out of 100. Together, these results indicate that many couples in North Dakota are choosing long-term commitment and maintaining lasting relationships.
Falling just 0.60 points behind first place, Iowa scored a total index score of 79.30 out of 100 and took the spot as the second-best American state for happy couples.
Despite ranking below North Dakota, Iowa actually has a higher healthcare score (81.29 out of 100), and a lower housing pressure score (86.14 out of 100). Iowa also has a smaller divorce rate than our first-placed state, with a divorce score of 51.02 out of 100.
So why does Iowa come in second? Our data shows that Iowa has one of the highest relationship search scores (90.66 out of 100) and has a lower wellbeing score (82.86 out of 100). This indicated that more couples are searching for relationship-repair keywords online, or even possible divorce-related information.
Despite Minnesota having a higher wellbeing score than the previously mentioned states (93.58 out of 100), it ranks third overall with a total index score of 77.84 out of 100.
Minnesota secures a solid third spot with its solid healthcare score of 83.45 out of 100, and its lower housing pressure score of 69.17 out of 100. Once again, we are seeing a direct link to a strong healthcare score and a high index total.
What prevents Minnesota from taking a higher place in our index is its lower marriage score (82.55 out of 100), and its higher divorce score (61.22 out of 100), showing how couples in this state are less eager to get married, and if they do, they’re more likely to end in divorce.
South Dakota ranks fourth overall in the American portion of our index, with a total score of 75.15 out of 100. The state stands out for its strong marriage score (91.91) and relatively modest housing pressure (83.25 out of 100). This suggests couples may face fewer barriers when finding a place to live together, helping to create a more stable environment for long-term relationships.
However, South Dakota scored lower for wellbeing (64.72) and healthcare (61.87). While these results trail some of the higher-ranking states, the combination of strong marriage rates and lower housing pressure helped South Dakota secure its place among the top performers in the index.
Hawaii ranks fifth among US states in our index, with a total score of 72.87. The state recorded the highest wellbeing score in the country (100.00), along with the strongest healthcare score among the top five states (94.96). Hawaii also had the lowest housing pressure score (17.44), suggesting couples may face fewer housing-related challenges than those in many other parts of the US.
Despite these strengths, Hawaii scored lower on several relationship-focused measures. It recorded the lowest marriage score among the top five states (71.91) and the highest divorce score (63.27). The state also had a relatively high relationship search score of 89.66, indicating greater interest in relationship advice and support online.
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of Health Insurance, Steven Spicer, said that access to quality healthcare can play an important role in supporting long-term relationships.
“Having the right health insurance in place can provide peace of mind for both you and your partner, helping you plan for the future with greater confidence.
“Some health funds may offer benefits for services such as relationship or marriage counselling, which can provide support for couples navigating challenges together.”
“For couples thinking about starting a family, it’s also worth checking whether pregnancy and birth-related services are included in your cover, as waiting periods may apply.”
Each of the three main rankings uses six equal-weighted concepts: marriage, divorce, relationship searches, wellbeing, healthcare access and housing pressure.
Each metric is min-max normalised within its own ranking to a 0-100 score. For metrics where lower is better, the score is inverted after normalisation. All six component scores are equally weighted. Final score = average of the six component scores.
The main index search metric uses estimated monthly relationship-related search volume per 100,000 people. Lower problem-led search demand is treated as better for the overall Happiest Couples Index. City rankings are supporting search-demand outputs only. Higher estimated monthly searches per 100,000 people means greater search demand, so city search scores are not interpreted as relationship quality.
Australia healthcare uses health spending per capita. Higher spending per person was scored as better for healthcare resource availability, although this is a proxy and should be described carefully. Australia housing pressure uses a composite of population growth, low vacancy rates and dwelling values because a single complete housing cost burden metric was not available for all states/territories.
Scoring
All data is accurate as of 10/07/2026 in line with the data sources examined and may not be fully representative of real-world experiences.
Data Sources