Copenhagen has retained its title as the world's most livable city for 2026, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Livability Index released Tuesday. This marks the second consecutive year the Danish capital has secured the top spot among 173 ranked cities.
The EIU's index evaluates cities based on 30 factors across five categories: health care, culture and environment, education, infrastructure, and stability. Copenhagen achieved perfect scores in stability, infrastructure, and education, contributing to its leading position. A spokesperson for the EIU cited Copenhagen's "winning combination of excellent scores in stability and infrastructure, great culture and environment and high quality of public services" as key to its success.
Following Copenhagen, Vienna and Melbourne secured second and third place, respectively. The remainder of the top 10 cities included Sydney, Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver, and Tokyo. Vancouver was the sole representative from North America to break into the top 10.
North American cities generally ranked lower, with Honolulu being the highest-placed American city at number 25. New York City ranked 66th, though it was noted as one of the cities that saw a significant score increase, particularly in the stability category, gaining 1.2 points.
Cities identified as having the lowest livability included Tehran, which faces challenges from economic turmoil, drought, and airstrikes; Harare, Zimbabwe; Kyiv; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Lagos, Nigeria; Algiers, Algeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tripoli, Libya; and Damascus. These cities were affected by a range of issues including economic instability, conflict, and environmental concerns.