Bangkok is making headlines once again and this time with a remarkable recognition: in Time Out’s 2025 global survey, the metropolis was named the best city in the world for Generation Z. More than 18,500 locals and a panel of experts were surveyed – the result speaks for itself.
What is Time Out?
Time Out is a British media and lifestyle magazine that has been around since the 1960s. Today, it is known worldwide and regularly publishes rankings on cities, food, culture, and travel. To create the most authentic picture possible, the editorial team surveys both locals and experts.
Who is Generation Z?
Generation Z, often simply called “Gen Z,” includes people born roughly between 1997 and 2012. They grew up with smartphones, social media, and the internet. For them, technology and digital communication are a natural part of everyday life.
Topics such as equality, gender, sustainability, and social justice are often important to them.
The survey highlights what young people value: nightlife, culture, quality of life, and affordability. So it’s no surprise that the Thai capital ranks at the very top. According to Time Out, Bangkok scores particularly well for its high happiness factor and budget-friendliness.
The numbers speak for themselves: 84% of Gen Z residents say they feel happy here, and 71% find life in Bangkok affordable. On top of that comes the social environment – nowhere else, respondents say, is it easier to meet new people.
But it’s more than that: accessible art and culture, short distances, green spaces, diverse social scenes, and efficient public transport make Bangkok a city where people enjoy living. The combination of lively street life, cultural diversity, and affordable prices is simply unbeatable.
What makes Bangkok so special?
I may not belong to Generation Z and first visited Bangkok over ten years ago, but the city still fascinates me. It’s precisely this colorful mix that makes Bangkok so special to me.
I can easily understand why young people – whether Thai or from the West – want to live in Bangkok. It’s simply the most exciting city in the world.
Bangkok is special to me as well. The city is a crazy, colorful mix of tradition and modernity, with temples and street food stalls right next to stylish cafés, rooftop bars, and cool street art.
Bangkok buzzes with energy around the clock. Clubs, live music, and cool events make it perfect for young people and anyone young at heart who wants to explore something new. Everywhere you turn, there are photogenic spots you just have to share on social media.
And what I especially love: the diversity and openness. People from all corners of the world come together here, trends emerge at lightning speed, and you immediately feel that creative, global energy that appeals to Generation Z. For me, Bangkok is simply a place where you can experience everything at once – loud, colorful, exciting, and somehow magical.
When someone asks me what makes Bangkok so special, I always say: it feels like an action movie, and I’m the main character. Everything is colorful, loud, intens – you never know what’s coming next. Compared to that, life in Germany often felt like a black-and-white silent film to me: calm, predictable, and much less surprising.