Copenhagen is the most attractive of the Nordic capitals – safety is the main draw

 

Attraction&Retention of Nordic cities examined the appeal and retention power of Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo. Copenhagen emerged as the top capital city in the comparison among both current and potential residents.

In a comparison of the capital cities of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, Copenhagen emerged as by far the most attractive to potential residents. Copenhagen outperformed its peers in nearly all aspects of attractiveness.

 

 

“Copenhagen ranks highest in the survey across five different sectors: economic vitality, transportation links, housing costs, quality of life, and, above all, the safety of the living environment. Compared to other cities, the difference in perceptions of safety is significant—other cities scored poorly in this aspect of attractiveness,” says Harri Leinikka, CEO of Reputation and Trust Analytics, which conducted the study.

Stockholm’s strengths, on the other hand, were its high-quality services. Stockholm was the only capital city to receive a positive rating for its services. Helsinki ranked second in terms of service perception. The appeal of all the capitals surveyed is diminished by the high cost of living.

When examining the appeal of these areas, the perception of safety emerges as the most important factor in attracting potential residents in all four capital cities.

“In addition to general well-being and a sense of community, the importance of a sense of comfort and safety has grown in recent years. It’s not just about the cycle of shootings and bombings that has hit Stockholm; street violence occurs elsewhere as well, and poor perceptions of safety also weigh on the appeal of Helsinki and Oslo. “Safety also proves to be the most important retention factor among current residents of the capital,” says Leinikka.

 

People in Copenhagen and Oslo appreciate their home cities—Helsinki and Stockholm are also better than their reputations suggest

 

The same survey questions were also posed to current residents of the capital cities. Copenhagen stands out as the highest-rated city even among its own residents, but Oslo residents rate their own city almost as highly. Compared to Copenhageners, Oslo residents give higher ratings for their city’s sense of community and services.

“What’s interesting here is that Oslo residents feel their city is safe, whereas people from outside the city do not. A similar difference can be seen in the results for all cities, but the gap in perceptions is greatest in Oslo.”

 

 

This is how we conducted the study

The results are based on Attraction&Retention of cities conducted by Reputation and Trust Analytics Oy (formerly T-Media) in January–March 2025.

The study examined the appeal and attractiveness of the Nordic capitals—Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo—among both potential residents and the cities’ current residents. Each capital was evaluated by approximately 200 current and potential residents of the cities.

The study’s target group consisted of citizens aged 15–65 in the countries surveyed.

Attraction&Retention, a city’s attractiveness score is calculated as the average of six different categories: economic vitality, community, safety, location, services, and cost structure.

 

More information

Harri Leinikka, CEO, Reputation and Trust Analytics Oy
harri.leinikka@reputationandtrust.com, +358 40 505 5001

Alexander Widén, Senior Advisor, Reputation and Trust Analytics Sweden AB
alexander.widen@reputationandtrust.com, +46 (0) 70 471 23 32