For the third year in a row, Vienna, the capital of Austria, is the best city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The annual report, which aims to show how comfortable or livable a city is, examines 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators organized into five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
Raised by perfect scores for stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure, Vienna leads this year’s list, closely followed by its Western European counterparts: Copenhagen, Denmark, in second place and Zurich, Switzerland, in third.
Vienna’s overall score took a small hit in the culture and environment categories, “due to the lack of major sporting events,” according to the EIU Global Liveability Index for 2024.
“The EIU Liveability Index has increased fractionally over the past year,” the report said. “Decreases in stability and infrastructure in some cities in advanced economies are offset by structural improvements in health and education in some cities in emerging markets.”
These are the 10 most livable cities in the world, according to the EIU.
- Vienna, Austria
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Melbourne, Australia
- Calgary, Canada
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Sydney, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Osaka, Japan
- Auckland, New Zealand
Four Asia-Pacific cities made it into the top 10 this year: the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney, as well as Osaka, Japan, and Auckland, New Zealand.
Melbourne, Sydney and Vancouver made the top 10 this year, but fell “under significant shortfalls in terms of housing availability,” the EIU said. For the same reason, Toronto fell to 12th place this year, after ranking among the top 10 the past two years.
Western Europe is the best place to live in the world, with a score of 92 out of 100. However, it has declined since last year due to an increase in protests and crime, weighing on the stability category, according to the report.
North America is the second best region, with an average score of 90.5 out of 100, and ranks highest for education. Canada’s ongoing housing crisis has dragged down the region’s infrastructure scores, the EIU said.
10 most livable cities in Asia
Asian cities continue to rise in livability scores worldwide. In particular, Hong Kong recorded the biggest jump in this year’s study, rising from 61st to 50th place.
“Despite not returning to pre-2019 scores, Hong Kong’s political landscape has (stable), with the risk of disruption from mass protests now negligible,” according to the EIU.
“The national security law and local regulations introduced in early 2024 have restored political stability, but this change in score represents a big tradeoff for Hong Kong’s civil society, as evidenced by the city’s plunging score in the separately published Democracy Index,” said the EIU. .
10 best cities in Asia:
- Melbourne, Australia (4 in the world)
- Sydney, Australia (7th)
- Osaka, Japan (9th tie)
- Auckland, New Zealand (9th match)
- Adelaide, Australia (11th)
- Tokyo, Japan (14th)
- Perth, Australia (15th)
- Brisbane, Australia (16th)
- Wellington, New Zealand (20th)
- Singapore, Singapore (26th)
Singapore, ranked 26th in the world, also recorded a big jump, and was the second biggest mover in the last 12 months. The tiny Southeast Asian nation scored a perfect 100 in the health care category.
The Japanese cities of Osaka and Tokyo also made it to the top 10 list in Asia. “As the most populous city among the top 20 cities, Tokyo deserves extra credit for maintaining the standard and safety of public services in such a large population,” the EIU said.
Cities in India have been reduced in livability scores, due to poor air quality in the country. “Infrastructure development is also a priority for the government, but given the size and geography of the country, it will take time to improve,” EIU said.
“Of the 58 Asian cities in the index, 16 have achieved the highest level of liveability (score above 80),” said Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy director of industry at EIU.
“However, 11 Asian cities receive a score below 60, at which point we define life limitations as these cities struggle with structural, political and climate problems that are difficult to overcome,” he said.
The stability category recorded the biggest decline of all five categories this year, held back by geopolitical conflicts, civil unrest, as well as the housing crisis and crime seen in many of the cities included in the survey, according to the report.
The most uninhabitable city in the world
The bottom 10 is dominated by cities in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region. Damascus, Syria and Tripoli, Libya are the two cheapest cities to live in after civil unrest has devastated the economy, according to the report.
The city of Kyiv in Ukraine is the 9th most uninhabitable city in the world, as the country continues to struggle with active armed conflict following the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, was the biggest mover this year, falling 20 places to rank 112 worldwide, as the war with Hamas began on October 7. 37,000 Palestinians were reported killed, according to the United Nations.
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