Copenhagen Named World's Most Liveable City for the Second Year Running

The Danish capital, Copenhagen, has topped the annual Global Liveability Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for the second year in a row. The list covers 170 cities worldwide, and a year earlier Copenhagen ended Vienna's three-year run at the top.

According to the EIU, the ranking takes into account education standards, political and social stability, healthcare quality, transport infrastructure and cultural life. Copenhagen scored maximum marks in three categories at once — stability, education and transport infrastructure.

An EIU representative attributed the Danish capital's sustained success to "a winning combination of excellent stability and infrastructure scores, fine culture and environment, and high-quality public services."

Europe and Australia Lead the Pack

Vienna once again took second place. Switzerland's Zurich and Geneva also made the top ten. Meanwhile, the UK managed to claw back ground after last year's slump, which was caused by a wave of unrest: Manchester was named the country's best city to live in for the second time, ranking 52nd worldwide, with London placing two spots below.

Western Europe as a whole remained the region with the highest quality of life, although its average score of 91.7 was slightly lower than in 2025.

Australia contributes the most cities to the top ten: Melbourne came in third, climbing one spot from last year, followed by Sydney, with Adelaide in eighth place.

Asia Catches Up Thanks to Healthcare

Asia is gradually closing the gap with Australia, posting an average score of 73.9 — largely thanks to improved healthcare, particularly in Chinese cities. Fuzhou, in southeastern China, jumped seven places to rank 93rd.

"We've raised healthcare scores for Chinese cities across the board, reflecting improved funding systems and rising investment," an EIU representative said, pointing to the introduction of a new long-term insurance scheme and the broader development of medical care in the country.

Among American cities, Honolulu made it into the top 20, while New York, the "Big Apple," landed several dozen places lower.

War Drags Kyiv and Tehran Down the List

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East also left its mark on the rankings: stability scores fell across the Gulf states, with Oman's capital Muscat and Kuwait taking the hardest hits.

The Syrian capital, Damascus, remains the world's least liveable city. But notable shifts also occurred near the very bottom of the list: due to the war, Iran's Tehran fell to 164th place, and Ukraine's Kyiv to 166th.

"The average global liveability score remained level with last year, as declining stability in the Middle East and improving healthcare in Asia offset one another across the 173 cities surveyed," said Anne Nicholls, Director of Industry Analytics at the EIU.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz