Copenhagen retains title as world’s most livable city in 2026

Copenhagen has once again been named the world's most livable city, retaining the top spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2026 Global Liveability Index, which ranks 173 cities based on factors including stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure and culture.

The Danish capital secured first place for the second consecutive year, ahead of Vienna, which had topped the rankings for three straight years before slipping to second in 2025. Melbourne climbed to third place, followed by Sydney, Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver and Tokyo, completing the top 10, CNN writes.

According to the EIU, a sister organisation of The Economist magazine, Copenhagen earned perfect scores in stability, infrastructure and education.

Copenhagen’s continued success was driven by a “winning combination of excellent scores in stability and infrastructure, great culture and environment and high quality of public services,” an Economist Intelligence Unit spokesperson said.

Western Europe remained the strongest-performing region overall, although its average livability score of 91.7 edged slightly lower than in 2025. Asia, meanwhile, recorded an improvement, with its average score rising by 0.3 points to 73.9, largely due to stronger healthcare performance.

“We upgraded healthcare scores across the board for Chinese cities, reflecting the national improvements to funding schemes and investment,” an Economist Intelligence Unit spokesperson said, citing China's expanded long-term care insurance system and broader improvements in healthcare provision.

Among the biggest gainers in Asia was the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, which climbed seven places to 93rd in the global rankings.

The report also highlighted notable changes in North America. New York City rose three places to 66th after improvements in its stability score, reflecting lower crime rates and a reduced perceived risk of terrorist attacks. Honolulu remained the highest-ranked U.S. city despite slipping two places to 25th, while Vancouver was the only North American city to secure a place in the global top 10, ranking ninth.

Australia strengthened its position in the rankings, with three cities making the top 10. Melbourne rose one place to third, Sydney climbed from sixth to fourth, and Adelaide ranked eighth.

In Europe, Zurich fell from a joint second-place finish last year to fifth, while Geneva ranked sixth. Osaka remained the highest-ranked Asian city in seventh place, with Tokyo rounding out the top 10.

The report also reflected the impact of geopolitical instability on urban livability. Cities across the Gulf region saw declines in their stability scores following the repercussions of the conflict involving Iran. Muscat recorded the steepest fall, dropping 14 places to 123rd, while Kuwait City slipped 12 positions to 105th.

The United Kingdom recovered after lower scores last year linked to periods of unrest. Manchester ranked as the country's highest-rated city for the second consecutive year, placing 52nd, ahead of London in 54th and Edinburgh in 64th.

At the bottom of the rankings, Damascus remained the world's least livable city. Tehran fell to 164th place following the effects of the war, while Kyiv dropped to 166th.

“The average livability score globally is the same as last year, because the stability declines (in the Middle East) and healthcare improvements [in Asia] offset each other across the 173 cities,” said Ana Nicholls, industry director at EIU. “Score increases in Asia mean that there are now nine Asian cities in the top 20, alongside seven European cities.”

By Sabina Mammadli