Which are the most liveable cities in the world? Every year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) rates the liveability of cities around the world and releases the highly anticipated Global Liveability Index 2024.
This year’s new report examines 173 cities and ranks them out of 100 points, using data such as stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.
Vienna, Austria, has taken the title of the world’s most livable city for the third year in a row. With perfect scores for stability, healthcare and education, Vienna is praised for its unparalleled combination of cultural richness and essential public services.
Vienna has been named the world’s most liveable city for the third year in a row. Pictured is the city of St. Petersburg. … [+]
Overall, Western Europe remains the most liveable region in the world, with eight cities in the top 20. Coming in second on the list is Copenhagen, Denmark, for the third year in a row. Zurich, Switzerland, overtakes Melbourne, Australia to take third place on the 2024 list (it was also third in 2022). Compare these results with 2023 and 2022:
Global Trends
So what do the findings tell us about global livability? This year’s report reveals positive trends, driven primarily by significant improvements in health and education in developing countries. However, these gains are somewhat offset by declining scores for some top-tier cities.
“Global livability has increased slightly over the past year, but risks to stability remain,” EIU deputy industry director Balsali Bhattacharya explained in a press release. “High inflation, combined with rising interest rates and other economic headwinds, have led to frequent protests around the world.”
Geopolitical risks are also affecting the index, with war affecting Tel Aviv’s ranking. “The world is becoming more polarized, as seen by the rise in protests and dissatisfaction with government policies,” Bhattacharya said.
The best cities to live in America
The United States again did not rank among the top 20 most livable cities this year, but it did move up the rankings, with Honolulu taking the top spot as the most livable city in the U.S. Honolulu came in 23rd in the overall rankings, up two points from 25th place in 2023.
Honolulu performed well due to its strong educational facilities, and also ranked highly for stability compared to other U.S. cities.
Honolulu, Hawaii coastline named the best place to live in America
The biggest changes
Despite dominating the top 20 with eight cities, Europe faces challenges, with a worsening stability score causing the biggest drop in its overall score. A surge in protests across Western Europe, over issues ranging from far-right extremism to EU agriculture policy, reflects underlying social tensions that could threaten future stability.
The Middle East and North Africa region provides a stark contrast: the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has had a major impact on Tel Aviv, causing it to drop 20 places to 112th, while Gulf cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have seen improvements in health care and education, helping to boost their livability scores.
In North America, the housing crisis is impacting the results, pushing down infrastructure scores: Toronto has fallen from the top 10 in 2023 to 12th place in 2024. Meanwhile, several major US cities have seen big drops: Miami has dropped from 6th place last year to 8th place this year.
Read on for rankings of the best cities to live in the world and in the US.
View of traditional houses in the Nyhavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. … [+]
Ranking: Top 20 most liveable cities in the world
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada (tied with Geneva)
5. Geneva, Switzerland (tie)
7. Sydney, Australia (tied with Vancouver)
7. Vancouver, Canada (tie)
9. Osaka (tied with Auckland, Japan)
9. Auckland, New Zealand (tie)
11. Adelaide, Australia
12. Toronto, Canada
13. Helsinki, Finland
14. Tokyo, Japan
15. Perth, Australia
16. Brisbane, Australia
17. Frankfurt, Germany (tied with Luxembourg)
17. Luxembourg, Luxembourg (tie)
19. Amsterdam, Netherlands
20. Wellington, New Zealand
Honolulu has been named the most livable city in the United States and the 23rd most livable city in the world. … [+]
Ranking: Top 10 best cities to live in the US
1. Honolulu, Hawaii (Overall ranking: 23rd)
2. Atlanta, Georgia (Overall ranking: 29th)
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Overall ranking: 30th)
4. Seattle, Washington (Overall ranking: 34th)
5. Washington DC (Overall ranking: 38th)
6. Chicago, Illinois (Overall ranking: 39th)
7. Boston, Massachusetts (Overall ranking: 45th)
8. Miami, Florida (Overall ranking: 47th)
9. San Francisco, California (Overall ranking: 49th)
10. Minneapolis, Minnesota (Overall ranking: 50th)
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