Copenhagen, Denmark, has been recognized as the world's most liveable city in The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index for 2026. The Danish capital achieved a near-perfect score of 98 out of 100 across 30 indicators spanning stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. It received top marks of 100 in stability, infrastructure, and education, with healthcare and culture/environment scoring 96 and 95 respectively.
Top Cities Highlighted
Following Copenhagen, Vienna, Austria, secured the second position with a score of 97 out of 100. The Austrian capital, a previous holder of the top spot, earned 100 for healthcare, infrastructure, and education, and 95 for stability.
Australia featured prominently in the top tier, with three cities making the top ten. Melbourne placed third with a score of 97, excelling in healthcare and education with perfect marks in both categories. Sydney followed in fourth place, also scoring 97, with healthcare and education rated at 100. Adelaide rounded out Australia's representation at eighth place, achieving an overall score of 96, with healthcare and education also scoring 100.
Switzerland also had a strong showing, with Zurich ranking fifth and Geneva sixth, both scoring 96 out of 100. Zurich received top ratings for education and healthcare, while Geneva also achieved perfect scores in education and healthcare.
Asia was represented by Osaka and Tokyo from Japan. Osaka took seventh place with a score of 97, achieving perfect marks in stability, healthcare, and education. Tokyo, rounding out the top ten, also scored 96, with perfect ratings in stability, healthcare, and education.
Vancouver, Canada, ranked ninth with a score of 96, notably scoring 100 for education and 97 for culture and environment.
Regional Performance and Notable Shifts
The EIU report analyzes 173 cities globally, with the top ten predominantly located in developed nations. Western Europe was identified as the region with the highest overall liveability, though Asia showed significant improvement and now leads as the most improved region.
Cities in the Middle Eastern and North African region saw a decline in liveability scores, with an average drop of one point attributed to recent conflicts. Dubai, a popular expat destination, fell four places to 79th with a score of 80 out of 100. Abu Dhabi also dropped to 76th. Muscat and Kuwait City experienced more significant drops, ranking 123rd and 105th respectively.
Conversely, China dominated the list of 'biggest movers up', with 10 out of 15 cities showing improved rankings. Fuzhou saw the largest gain, moving up seven places to 83rd.
Lisbon, Portugal, was the second-biggest mover, climbing six places to 54th. The report notes a substantial increase in British residents in Portugal over the past decade.
The lowest-ranked cities were largely impacted by conflict or poverty, with Damascus, Syria, ranking as the least liveable city.