"One thing that didn't surprise us at all was how poorly American cities performed. The problem is the broader national context. Americans have a 42 percent obesity rate and a much shorter life expectancy than Europeans or Australians."
London Heathrow Airport recorded its highest number of passengers ever in 2025, with a staggering 84.5 million travelers, averaging more than 231,000 arrivals and departures daily.
The Bartlett School of Architecture maintains its position at the top of the ranking, continuing its multi-year lead, while the overall composition of the top 10 signals subtle but notable changes rather than major disruptions.
California kept its bragging rights as the world's fourth-largest economy in the latest update on state-level business output. The Golden State economy was producing goods and services at a nation-leading $4.215 trillion annual pace in the second quarter. That's according to the latest estimates of gross domestic product by the Bureau of Economic Analysis released Friday, Sept. 26. GDP is a broad measure of the production of goods and services, often seen as a yardstick of a region's economic vibrancy.
As a low-cost, easy anytime snack or a super-fast meal in a pinch, it's hard to beat instant ramen. Whether you love the spicy instant noodles or you like to add fresh ingredients to upgrade your ramen, you can't deny its popularity. Instant ramen is a worldwide phenomenon, though some countries eat more of this pantry staple than others. Perhaps unsurprisingly, China consumes the most instant ramen of any country. If you thought it was Japan, they actually rank fifth in the world.
One of the best bookstores in all of NYC, Albertine Books on the Upper East Side came in at a handsome No. 9 on this year's global rankings, joining fellow beauties like Shakespeare and Company in Paris (at No. 2), El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires (No. 3), The Gently Mad Bookshop in Edinburgh (No. 4) and the first-place finisher, Boekhandel Dominicanen in Maastricht, Netherlands.
"There is no single perfect place to live that guarantees happiness for all its residents. However, some cities implement urban policies with remarkable wisdom, continuously analysing their effectiveness, and their results are clearly reflected in the data."
