The Top 10 Most Liveable Cities in the World

erikabassovisionfa
Jul 13
3 min read

Updated: Jul 14

Much of this year’s top 10 has remained substantially unchanged from 2023, although the fortunes of one or two cities that rose in the rankings or slipped back have changed.

An obvious change is the dominance of Western European cities, which have conquered the top three places and have four positions in the top 10.

According to the latest Global Liveability Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which assesses stability, health, culture and environment, education and infrastructure:

	City	Nation
1	Copenhagen	Denmark
2	Vienna	Austria
2	Zurich	Switzerland
4	Melbourne	Australia
5	Geneva	Switzerland
6	Sydney	Australia
7	Osaka	Japan
7	Auckland	New Zeland
9	Adelaide	Australia
10	Vancouver	Canada

Copenhagen

First in the world with perfect scores in stability, Copenhagen has set the record with its infrastructure, education, and very high scores in health and environment.

It is famous for being super bike-friendly, eco-friendly and equipped with many public spaces.

Vienna e Zurich

Vienna excels in health, education and infrastructure in 2025 has suffered a drop from its sinful record only for the category "stability" after some accidents.

Zurich is renowned for urban efficiency, excellent health and education systems.

Melbourne

Gets very high scores on cultural, health, infrastructure and education, remains among the best cities, where a vibrant Australian cultural scene stands out.

Geneva

Among the best cities for health care, as well as for high-level infrastructure and political stability.

Sydney

rich for its beautiful coasts united with each other, promotes excellent health and solid infrastructure.

Osaka and Auckland

Osaka has returned 100% stability, both in health and education, showing how a city is safe and perfectly organized.

Auckland is ranked seventh with strong stability in health, education, excellent environmental quality and infrastructure.

In addition to the eight European cities that dominate the top 10 of the ranking, Auckland is in 5th place and is the first city in the Pacific area, while North America is represented by Vancouver, which is in 7th place (ex aequo with Frankfurt) thanks to the unique mix of outdoor recreation and cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Adelaide

Top 10 city for excellence in health and education. Show all the relaxed and well-connected atmosphere of the city ideal to live in.

Vancouver

Reconfirming its position among the most liveable cities, it is in a good position thanks to its education and environment, ideal for those who prefer to choose a city rich in natural environments and urban life.

How the rankings are decided

Liveability is a subjective concept and of course the Global Liveability Index by The Economist is not infallible. However, scores are determined by a set of benchmarks.

The overall ranking of each city is determined by the average score out of 100 in five different categories: stability, culture and environment, education, health and infrastructure.

Among the five main categories there are 30 data and analysis points which help to determine the score of each category.

For example, under stability the threat of terrorism, the incidence of civil unrest and levels of crime are taken into account. As regards health care and education, the quality and availability of services are examined. As regards infrastructure, public transport, roads, connections, housing and public services are assessed.

How the liveability in the cities is assessed

As mentioned, there are three criteria on the basis of which the various cities were assessed. The first concerns their "liveability", which measures the perceived quality of urban spaces. The assessment then includes the amount of green space, the ease of cycling, the cost of monthly rents and the cost-of-living ratio to average income.

At the global level, the index of liveability of cities grew by only 0.06 points between 2023 and 2024, in contrast to the increase of 2.84 points recorded between July 2022 and 2023.

A limited improvement also because of the war in Gaza and Ukraine, protests occurred in some European countries, including France and Italy with the movement of farmers and occupations of university campuses in the United States.

Inflation, rising cost of living and the housing crisis have also had an impact on the liveability of some cities, including Melbourne and Sydney in Australia and Vancouver in Canada, which remain in the top ten.

Conclusion

The Quality of Living City Ranking takes into account various factors, such as political stability, health care, education, infrastructure and socio-cultural environment.

It is worth remembering that each city has its own charm and unique advantages, which make each region diverse and attractive to residents, expats and visitors.