Key Takeaways: The EIU's 2026 Global Liveability Index scored 173 cities across five categories - here's what changed at the top and bottom of the table.
- Copenhagen takes the #1 spot for 2026, ending Vienna's run at the top with perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure.
- New York posted one of the largest gains of any city, climbing to 66th on falling crime and lower perceived terrorism risk.
- Damascus ranks last at 173rd - the lowest-ranked cities are defined by war and instability, not infrastructure or wealth.
What the Index Actually Measures
Each year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) scores 173 cities worldwide on 30 qualitative and quantitative indicators, grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Every category is scored out of 100, then blended into a single overall liveability score. This year's survey was fielded in May 2026, and the global average score across all 173 cities came in at 76.1 - essentially flat compared with the year before.
The index was built for employers relocating staff and insurers pricing hardship postings, but it's become a widely-cited shorthand for "where is life actually easiest to live" - useful context for anyone weighing a move, even though it isn't a substitute for the practical details of a specific relocation.
The 2026 Top 10
| Rank | City | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 2 | Vienna | Austria |
| 3 | Melbourne | Australia |
| 4 | Sydney | Australia |
| 5 | Zurich | Switzerland |
| 6 | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 7 | Osaka | Japan |
| 8 | Adelaide | Australia |
| 9 | Vancouver | Canada |
| 10 | Tokyo | Japan |
Vancouver is the only North American city to make the top ten. Tokyo is the sole newcomer to the list this year, and notably the only megacity in the group - proof that sheer size isn't automatically a liveability penalty if the infrastructure and services scale with it.
Copenhagen's Perfect Scores
Copenhagen ends Vienna's long run at the top with an overall score of 98.0, edging out Vienna's 97.1. The Danish capital posted perfect 100s in three of the five categories - stability, education, and infrastructure - alongside a 96 in healthcare and a 95 in culture and environment. What stands out isn't a single standout strength; it's the absence of any weak category, and the fact that Copenhagen has sustained those scores rather than posting a one-off high mark while a rival slipped.
The Biggest Mover: New York
New York City climbed three places to 66th, one of the largest score gains recorded by any city this year (+1.2 points), driven entirely by improvements in the stability category - falling crime rates and a lower perceived risk of terrorist attacks. It's a meaningful jump, but worth keeping in perspective: New York remains the third-lowest-ranked major US city on the index, well outside the top tier occupied by Honolulu, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh, which land closer to the low-90s among US metros.
Asia's Quiet Rise
Asia was the most-improved region this year, with its average score up 0.3 points to 73.9. All 19 ranked Chinese cities gained ground on healthcare following sustained infrastructure investment, with five now scoring above 80 in that category; Fuzhou climbed seven places to 93rd on the strength of it. Nine Asian cities now sit in the top 20 overall - a sign that the region's liveability gains are broadening well beyond the handful of cities that have historically anchored the upper rankings.
The Bottom of the Table
Damascus, Syria finishes last at 173rd with a score of 31.6, still weighed down by the aftermath of civil war - unreliable electricity, healthcare, and potable water, and a deeply unstable security environment. Tripoli, Libya sits just above it at 172nd, held back by political fragmentation and recurring militia clashes. Tehran enters the rankings for the first time at 164th amid war-related instability, and Kyiv fell further to 166th. Across the bottom of the table, the common thread isn't infrastructure or wealth - it's stability. War and civil conflict do more damage to a liveability score than any other single factor the index measures.
What It Means If You're Weighing a Move
Indexes like this one are a useful data point, not a decision on their own. They're built around a fairly narrow lens - the experience of relocating professionals and their families - so they say little about cost of living relative to local wages, job market depth in a specific field, or how easy a given city actually is to move to. A city's liveability score and its visa or immigration pathway are two entirely separate questions, and a high rank on one doesn't tell you anything about the other. Treat the index as one input among several - alongside career opportunity, community, cost of living, and the practicalities of the move itself - rather than the deciding factor.
