Vienna has once again been named the most liveable city in the world, according to the annual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). This Austrian city is renowned for its beauty and is highly recommended for both visiting and living. Copenhagen in Denmark maintained its second place position, while Zurich in Switzerland climbed up to third place.
Melbourne in Australia dropped to fourth place, and Calgary in Canada tied with Geneva in Switzerland for fifth place. Vancouver in Canada and Sydney in Australia shared seventh place, while Osaka in Japan and Auckland in New Zealand rounded out the top 10 in joint ninth place. Western Europe performed well overall, although stability scores declined due to disruptive protests and crime. Honolulu in Hawaii was the highest-ranked US city at 23rd place, followed by Atlanta in Georgia at 29th place. Los Angeles ranked 58th, and New York came in at 70th place.
North America excelled in education, but infrastructure scores in Canada were lower due to a housing crisis. The report highlighted concerns about the availability of rental properties and rising purchase prices in Australia and Canada. Vancouver slipped in the rankings while remaining in the top 10, and Toronto dropped out of the top 10 to 12th place compared to the previous year.
North America attained the highest average score for education, although its infrastructure marks in Canada were lower compared to the previous year due to an acute housing crisis that has impacted multiple regions. According to the report, “The situation is particularly concerning in Australia and Canada, where the availability of rental properties is at an all-time low and purchase prices have continued to rise despite interest-rate increases.”
While Vancouver experienced a setback, it still remained within the top 10, while Toronto dropped out of the top 10 and secured the 12th position. London, the capital of the UK, was ranked as the 45th most liveable city in the world. In Asia, Hong Kong witnessed the largest improvement in scores since the previous year, climbing from 61st place to 50th, thanks to enhancements in stability and healthcare scores.
Cities in the UAE also saw significant score increases this year, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai climbing up the list. Additionally, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia made notable gains. On the other hand, Tel Aviv in Israel experienced one of the largest declines, dropping 20 places to 112th due to the Israel-Hamas war. Barsali Bhattacharyya, the deputy industry director at EIU, stated, “Global liveability has slightly increased over the past year, but risks to stability persist. Still-high inflation, along with high interest rates and other economic challenges, led to frequent protests worldwide.”
The bottom of the list saw minimal changes, with Damascus, Syria remaining the least liveable city in the world. Tripoli in Libya, Algiers in Algeria, and Lagos in Nigeria ranked just above it. The study highlighted that none of the bottom four cities had shown any improvement in their overall scores since 2023. Bhattacharyya mentioned, “Since we conducted our survey, there have been more instances of civil unrest and demonstrations worldwide, such as the campus protests across the US, indicating ongoing stress on liveability that is unlikely to ease in the near future.”
2024’s Global Liveability Index: The top 10
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada
5. Geneva, Switzerland
7. Sydney, Australia
7. Vancouver, Canada
9. Osaka, Japan
10. Auckland, New Zealand
