Planning to move abroad? These are the world's 10 most liveable cities in 2026
The EIU said the effects of the war with Iran were reflected in lower stability scores across several Gulf cities.
- Jul 8, 2026,
- Updated Jul 8, 2026 7:51 PM IST
Copenhagen has been named the world's most liveable city for the second year in a row in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026, with Vienna and Melbourne ranked second and third respectively, according to a report by CNN.
The annual rankings, released on Tuesday, assessed 173 cities across the world based on five factors — stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and culture and environment.
The Danish capital received "perfect" scores in stability, infrastructure and education. It overtook Vienna to claim the top spot last year, ending the Austrian capital's three-year run at No. 1, and has retained its position this year.
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"Copenhagen’s persistent success at the top was down to a 'winning combination of excellent scores in stability and infrastructure, great culture and environment and high quality of public services,' said a spokesperson from the Economist Intelligence Unit."
Australia had three cities in the top 10. Melbourne moved up one place to third, while Sydney climbed from sixth to fourth.
Zurich, which shared second place with Vienna last year, slipped to fifth, followed by Geneva in sixth. Japan's Osaka remained seventh, Adelaide was eighth, Vancouver ranked ninth and Tokyo completed the top 10.
Top 10 most liveable cities in 2026
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Vienna, Austria
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sydney, Australia
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Osaka, Japan
- Adelaide, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Tokyo, Japan
New York climbs, Honolulu remains top US city
Among US cities, New York rose three places to 66th after improving its stability score, helped by falling crime rates and lower perceived risks of terrorist attacks.
Honolulu remained the highest-ranked US city despite dropping two places to 25th. Vancouver was the only North American city to make the global top 10.
Gulf cities fall as conflict affects stability
The EIU said the effects of the war with Iran were reflected in lower stability scores across several Gulf cities.
Muscat recorded the biggest drop, falling 14 places to 123rd, while Kuwait City fell 12 places to 105th.
The United Kingdom recovered after last year's decline linked to riots and unrest. Manchester was once again the country's highest-ranked city at 52nd, ahead of London at 54th and Edinburgh at 64th.
Healthcare improvements boost Asia
Asia's average liveability score rose by 0.3 points to 73.9, mainly because of stronger healthcare systems. Several Chinese cities improved their rankings, with Fuzhou climbing seven places to 93rd.
"We upgraded healthcare scores across the board for Chinese cities, reflecting the national improvements to funding schemes and investment," added a spokesperson from the Economist Intelligence Unit, pointing to a new long-term care insurance system in the country as well as the improvement of healthcare provision.
Western Europe remained the highest-scoring region overall, although its average score fell slightly to 91.7 compared with last year.
"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."
At the bottom of the rankings, Damascus remained the world's least liveable city. Tehran fell to 164th following the war, while Kyiv dropped to 166th.
Copenhagen has been named the world's most liveable city for the second year in a row in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026, with Vienna and Melbourne ranked second and third respectively, according to a report by CNN.
The annual rankings, released on Tuesday, assessed 173 cities across the world based on five factors — stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and culture and environment.
The Danish capital received "perfect" scores in stability, infrastructure and education. It overtook Vienna to claim the top spot last year, ending the Austrian capital's three-year run at No. 1, and has retained its position this year.
Don't Miss: Gurgaon turns into 'Venice' after just two hours of rain; viral videos capture flood chaos
"Copenhagen’s persistent success at the top was down to a 'winning combination of excellent scores in stability and infrastructure, great culture and environment and high quality of public services,' said a spokesperson from the Economist Intelligence Unit."
Australia had three cities in the top 10. Melbourne moved up one place to third, while Sydney climbed from sixth to fourth.
Zurich, which shared second place with Vienna last year, slipped to fifth, followed by Geneva in sixth. Japan's Osaka remained seventh, Adelaide was eighth, Vancouver ranked ninth and Tokyo completed the top 10.
Top 10 most liveable cities in 2026
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Vienna, Austria
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sydney, Australia
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Osaka, Japan
- Adelaide, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Tokyo, Japan
New York climbs, Honolulu remains top US city
Among US cities, New York rose three places to 66th after improving its stability score, helped by falling crime rates and lower perceived risks of terrorist attacks.
Honolulu remained the highest-ranked US city despite dropping two places to 25th. Vancouver was the only North American city to make the global top 10.
Gulf cities fall as conflict affects stability
The EIU said the effects of the war with Iran were reflected in lower stability scores across several Gulf cities.
Muscat recorded the biggest drop, falling 14 places to 123rd, while Kuwait City fell 12 places to 105th.
The United Kingdom recovered after last year's decline linked to riots and unrest. Manchester was once again the country's highest-ranked city at 52nd, ahead of London at 54th and Edinburgh at 64th.
Healthcare improvements boost Asia
Asia's average liveability score rose by 0.3 points to 73.9, mainly because of stronger healthcare systems. Several Chinese cities improved their rankings, with Fuzhou climbing seven places to 93rd.
"We upgraded healthcare scores across the board for Chinese cities, reflecting the national improvements to funding schemes and investment," added a spokesperson from the Economist Intelligence Unit, pointing to a new long-term care insurance system in the country as well as the improvement of healthcare provision.
Western Europe remained the highest-scoring region overall, although its average score fell slightly to 91.7 compared with last year.
"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."
At the bottom of the rankings, Damascus remained the world's least liveable city. Tehran fell to 164th following the war, while Kyiv dropped to 166th.