Copenhagen ranked world's most livable city in 2026 Global Index

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Index 2026 evaluated 173 cities on 30 indicators across five categories – stability, health care, education, infrastructure and culture/environment. Copenhagen, Denmark, topped the list for the second consecutive year, earning perfect scores of 100 in stability, education and infrastructure. Vienna, Austria, took second place and Melbourne, Australia, third. The top‑ten also includes Osaka and Tokyo (Japan), Adelaide (Australia), Zurich and Geneva (Switzerland), and Vancouver, Canada, which is the only North American city in the top ten, ranking ninth with a score of 96 out of 100.

Regional trends show Western Europe remaining the strongest overall, while North America ranks second. Asian cities improved their average score by 0.3 points to 73.9, driven by better health‑care scores, especially in Chinese cities such as Fuzhou. The Gulf region saw sharp declines due to the war with Iran: Muscat (Oman) fell 14 places to 123, and Kuwait City dropped 12 places to 105. The global average livability score was 76.1, unchanged from the previous year. The index does not rank cities for tourism but for residents’ quality of life, reflecting the impact of geopolitical tensions, health‑care investment and infrastructure quality across the world.