Denmark, Australia and Switzerland are home to some of the world’s best cities to live in, a new study has shown.
Copenhagen has been named the world’s most livable city in 2025, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index, displacing Vienna in Austria, which came second after a three-year run at the top.
The Danish capital achieved perfect scores of 100 in stability, education, and infrastructure, pushing it from second place to first in a global assessment of 173 cities.
The EIU’s annual index evaluates cities across 30 indicators grouped into five categories, which include stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. While the average global score remained unchanged from 2024 at 76.1 out of 100, the report noted a persistent decline in global stability, driven by rising geopolitical tensions and civil unrest.
“Copenhagen’s rise to the top underscores the power of consistent investment in public goods,” said Matt Watkins, a public affairs strategist and policy analyst, told Newsweek. He consults cities across the United States and a few other nations on urban development, economic mobility and quality-of-life strategies.
Melbourne in Australia placed fourth, continuing its strong performance in the rankings, with two other Australian cities—Sydney and Adelaide—also among the top 10. Other cities filling out the top 10 slots included Auckland in New Zealand, Osaka in Japan, and Vancouver in Canada.
Watkins noted: “Livability is a choice. These outcomes do not emerge by chance. They happen when governments commit to universal baselines that ensure quality of life—things like clean public transit in Zurich, affordable child care in Copenhagen, strong public education in Melbourne, and access to green space in Auckland.”
North American cities overall remained in the highest tier of livability, with all 21 assessed scoring above 80.
Two Canadian cities, Calgary and Toronto, also experienced drops. “We have lowered the health care scores for all four Canadian cities in our index,” the EIU report noted.
All three cities in the United Kingdom in the index—London, Manchester, and Edinburgh—saw their placements fall in the wider ranking due to widespread riots and rising homelessness.
“Walkability is a common thread among the world’s most livable cities,” Watkins said. “When people can safely and easily walk to schools, grocery stores, parks, and transit, everything else becomes more connected—public health improves; small businesses thrive; emissions drop; and community life flourishes.”
The EIU highlighted that, while stability declined globally, other aspects of urban life have improved. “Scores for health care, education and infrastructure all saw marginal improvements on average,” the report said. Cities in the Middle East and North Africa region showed the most-notable gains, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, due to significant advancements in health care and education.
Watkins emphasized that high-quality infrastructure alone isn’t what makes a city truly livable. “What makes a city truly livable is not just infrastructure, but connection,” he said.
He added: “The most-livable cities foster a sense of belonging—through public spaces that invite gathering; services that reduce isolation; and policies that help people put down roots. Whether it is Vienna’s cultural investment or Vancouver’s focus on inclusivity, these cities recognize that social cohesion is as important to well-being as hospitals and transit lines.”
Watkins added that the world’s most-livable cities succeed because they treat livability as a public mandate. He said: “These places remind us that good governance is not just about efficiency; it is about creating conditions where people can move freely, connect easily, and live with dignity.”
Top 10 Most Liveable Cities
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Geneva, Switzerland
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Osaka, Japan
8. Auckland, New Zealand
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Vancouver, Canada
Source: A ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) based on an assessment of 30 indicators grouped into five categories, including stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
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