According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2024 Global Liveability Index, Vienna, Austria, is the most “liveable” city in the world.
Alexander Spatali | Moment | Getty Images
Buoyed by perfect scores for stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure, Vienna topped this year’s list, closely followed by Western European cities, with Copenhagen in Denmark in second and Zurich in Switzerland in third.
According to the EIU’s 2024 Global Liveability Index, Vienna’s overall score was the highest on the list, but it suffered slightly in the areas of culture and environment due to a “lack of major sporting events”.
“The EIU’s Liveability Index rose slightly over the past year,” the report states. “Declining stability and infrastructure in many developed world cities was offset by structural improvements in health care and education in some developing world cities.”
According to the EIU, the top 10 most liveable cities in the world are:
- 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: Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, Osaka in Japan and Auckland in New Zealand.
Melbourne, Sydney and Vancouver made the top 10 this year but dropped in the rankings due to “significant shortfalls in housing supply,” the EIU said, as did Toronto, which had been in the top 10 for the past two years, dropping to 12th place this year for the same reason.
The report found that Western Europe was the best-performing region globally in terms of liveability, with an overall score of 92 out of 100, but its ranking dropped from last year as rising protests and crime weighed on its stability category.
North America was the second best region, with an average score of 90.5 out of 100, and ranked highest in education. However, the EIU said Canada’s ongoing housing crisis was dragging down the region’s infrastructure score.
Asian cities continue to improve their liveability scores globally, with Hong Kong recording the largest increase in this year’s survey, moving up from 61st to 50th place.
“Although Hong Kong has not yet returned to its pre-2019 score, the political situation in Hong Kong has [stabilized]”The risk of unrest from large-scale protests is now negligible,” the EIU said.
“While the introduction of the national security law and local regulations in early 2024 has restored political stability, this change in score reflects a significant trade-off for Hong Kong’s civil society, also evidenced by the sharp drop in Hong Kong’s score in the separately released Democracy Index,” the EIU said.
Top 10 Most Liveable Cities in Asia:
- Melbourne, Australia (4th in the world)
- Sydney, Australia (7th)
- Osaka, Japan (tied for 9th place)
- Auckland, New Zealand (tied for 9th)
- 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, recording its second-largest increase in the past 12 months. Notably, the small Southeast Asian nation achieved a perfect score of 100 in the healthcare category.
The Japanese cities of Osaka and Tokyo also made it into the top 10 list in Asia. “Tokyo, the most populous of the top 20 cities, also deserves recognition for its ability to provide high standards of public services and maintain public safety given its huge population,” the EIU said.
But Indian cities have seen their livability scores fall, in part due to poor air quality. “Infrastructure development is also a priority for the government, but given the country’s size and geography, improvements will take time,” the EIU said.
“Of the 58 Asian cities included in the index, 16 achieved the highest level of liveability (a score of 80 or above),” said Balsali Bhattacharya, deputy industry director at the EIU.
“But 11 Asian cities scored below 60 points – we define these as cities plagued by structural, political and climatic challenges that are difficult to overcome and at which point their livability is severely limited,” she said.
The report said stability saw the biggest decline of all five categories this year, due to geopolitical conflict, social unrest and the continuing housing crisis and crime in many of the cities surveyed.
The bottom ten are dominated by cities in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region, with Damascus in Syria and Tripoli in Libya ranked as the two least liveable cities after civil war wrecked their economies, according to the report.
The Ukrainian city of Kyiv has been ranked the 9th least liveable city in the world as it continues to grapple with active armed conflict following the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, has fallen the most this year, dropping 20 places in the global rankings to 112th, as the war with Hamas has been ongoing since October 7. More than 1,200 Israeli deaths have been reported on the Israeli side, while more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the United Nations.
Do you want to make some extra money outside of your day job? Apply CNBC’s new online course “How to Make Passive Income Online” Learn about common passive income sources, tips for getting started, and real-world success stories.
plus, Sign up for the CNBC Make It newsletter Learn tips and tricks for success in work, money and life.
