Taipei ranked at the top of an annual happiness rating, followed by Hsinchu and Taichung, according to a report released on Wednesday by the CommonWealth magazine. According to the report, this years rating was performed based on criteria in five major fields, including the economy, environmental protection, government efficiency and level of corruption, education and social welfare.

The rating focused on the global competitiveness of a city and looked for a healthy and balanced development in those fields, the report said.

Taipei County, Keelung and Yunlin County were listed at the bottom of the rankings, while Chiayi had the largest improvement, jumping from 11th to fourth place.

Chiayis big improvement was attributed to the importance Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-huei （黃敏惠） has attached to social welfare, especially the care for socially disadvantaged people, women and children, according to an analysis by Professor Liao Kun-jung （廖坤榮） of Kaohsiung-based National Sun Yat-sen University.

Meanwhile, as part of the rating, a survey on satisfaction with administrative performances of city and county heads showed that Hsinchu Mayor Lin Cheng-cho （林政則）, Taoyuan County Commissioner Chu Li-lun （朱立倫） and Taichung Mayor Jason Hu （胡志強） took the top three places.

Chen Chu （陳菊）, whose mayorship of Kaohsiung was anulled by a district court over election irregularities, and Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei （周錫瑋） were listed third and second from the bottom.

In related surveys, the results showed that residents in outlying Penghu and Kinmen counties believe they live in the happiest counties in the country.

Those living in Yilan, Hualian and Taidong said they believed their hometowns are the most beautiful. The surveys were conducted between June 30 and July 31, with a total of 10,225 valid samples collected.