Copenhagen
Denmark
98.0 overallUp 1Liveability index
Global Liveability Index 2025
Compare the world's most liveable cities using EIU scores for stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
173 cities ranked
30+ indicators
5 categories
98.0 top score
Most liveable cities
Copenhagen leads the 2025 liveability ranking.
Vienna fell to second after a stability-score decline, while Zurich tied it on the overall score.
Vienna
Austria
97.1 overallDown 1Zurich
Switzerland
97.1 overallUp 1Melbourne
Australia
97.0 overallNo changeGeneva
Switzerland
96.8 overallNo changeMethodology
How the EIU liveability score works
The EIU rates each city across stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Scores run from 1 to 100, where a higher score indicates more liveable conditions.
This page keeps the published top-city scores visible as HTML, then adds relocation context for readers comparing where to live rather than simply where to travel.
2025 signal
Stability was the pressure point.
The EIU reported that conflict and civil unrest weighed on stability, while improvements in healthcare, education, and infrastructure helped keep the global average flat.
76.1Global average score
#1Copenhagen, replacing Vienna
Category weights
Five dimensions determine the city score
The index is useful for relocation shortlisting because it separates public safety, healthcare quality, schooling, lifestyle conditions, and infrastructure.
Stability
Healthcare
Culture & environment
Education
Infrastructure
Rankings table
Top cities in the 2025 liveability ranking
The table shows the published top ten cities with category scores, 2024 score comparison, and rank movement where available.
Showing top 10 of 173 citiesSource: EIU summary report
| Rank | City | Country | Overall | 2024 score | Rank change | Stability | Healthcare | Culture & env. | Education | Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 98.0 | 98.0 | Up 1 | 100.0 | 95.8 | 95.4 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| =2 | Vienna | Austria | 97.1 | 98.4 | Down 1 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 93.5 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| =2 | Zurich | Switzerland | 97.1 | 97.1 | Up 1 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 96.3 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| 4 | Melbourne | Australia | 97.0 | 97.0 | No change | 95.0 | 100.0 | 95.8 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| 5 | Geneva | Switzerland | 96.8 | 96.8 | No change | 95.0 | 100.0 | 94.9 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| 6 | Sydney | Australia | 96.6 | 96.6 | Up 1 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 94.4 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| =7 | Osaka | Japan | 96.0 | 96.0 | Up 2 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 86.8 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| =7 | Auckland | New Zealand | 96.0 | 96.0 | Up 2 | 95.0 | 95.8 | 97.9 | 100.0 | 92.9 |
| 9 | Adelaide | Australia | 95.9 | No 2024 data | No 2024 rank | 95.0 | 100.0 | 91.4 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| 10 | Vancouver | Canada | 95.8 | 96.6 | Down 3 | 95.0 | 95.8 | 97.2 | 100.0 | 92.9 |
Bottom ten
Least liveable cities in the 2025 index
The EIU summary report also publishes the bottom ten positions. These scores are shaped by conflict, instability, damaged infrastructure, and weak healthcare access.
Showing ranks 164-173Source: EIU summary report
| Rank | City | Country | Overall | Stability | Healthcare | Culture & env. | Education | Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | Caracas | Venezuela | 44.9 | 35.0 | 37.5 | 45.1 | 66.7 | 53.6 |
| 165 | Kyiv | Ukraine | 44.5 | 40.0 | 41.7 | 53.2 | 75.0 | 26.8 |
| 166 | Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea | 44.1 | 30.0 | 41.7 | 52.5 | 58.3 | 46.4 |
| 167 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 43.8 | 40.0 | 29.2 | 56.7 | 66.7 | 35.7 |
| 168 | Lagos | Nigeria | 43.5 | 30.0 | 37.5 | 54.4 | 41.7 | 53.6 |
| 169 | Algiers | Algeria | 42.8 | 35.0 | 54.2 | 45.4 | 58.3 | 30.4 |
| 170 | Karachi | Pakistan | 42.7 | 20.0 | 54.2 | 35.9 | 75.0 | 51.8 |
| 171 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 41.7 | 45.0 | 41.7 | 40.5 | 66.7 | 26.8 |
| 172 | Tripoli | Libya | 40.1 | 30.0 | 45.8 | 37.5 | 58.3 | 41.1 |
| 173 | Damascus | Syria | 30.7 | 20.0 | 29.2 | 40.5 | 33.3 | 32.1 |
Rank movement
Biggest risers and fallers in 2025
The public EIU summary does not release all 173 city rows for free, but it does publish the largest upward and downward movements with index scores and score changes.
Biggest risers
19 cities| City | Rank | Index | Rank move | Index move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al KhobarSaudi Arabia | 135 | 62.4 | +13 | +3.4 |
| JakartaIndonesia | 132 | 62.9 | +10 | +2.5 |
| BangkokThailand | 116 | 69.4 | +6 | +2.5 |
| Chiang MaiThailand | 130 | 63.8 | +6 | +2.5 |
| AthensGreece | 85 | 78.1 | +6 | +2.5 |
| Hong KongHong Kong SAR | 44 | 90.4 | +6 | +0.2 |
| LuxembourgLuxembourg | 11 | 95.6 | +6 | +0.7 |
| Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates | 72 | 83.3 | +4 | +1.6 |
| MontrealCanada | 19 | 93.8 | +4 | +0.4 |
| MiamiUnited States | 44 | 90.4 | +3 | 0.0 |
| PortlandUnited States | 44 | 90.4 | +3 | 0.0 |
| MilanItaly | 49 | 89.5 | +3 | 0.0 |
| IndianapolisUnited States | 50 | 89.4 | +3 | 0.0 |
| CharlotteUnited States | 50 | 89.4 | +3 | 0.0 |
| DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | 75 | 82.5 | +3 | +1.7 |
| SurabayaIndonesia | 150 | 57.1 | +3 | +1.2 |
| JeddahSaudi Arabia | 127 | 64.7 | +3 | +1.7 |
| AbidjanCote d'Ivoire | 156 | 54.1 | +3 | +1.5 |
| Rio de JaneiroBrazil | 111 | 70.9 | +3 | +0.7 |
Biggest fallers
10 cities| City | Rank | Index | Rank move | Index move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CalgaryCanada | 18 | 94.7 | -13 | -2.1 |
| NoumeaNew Caledonia | 90 | 76.8 | -10 | -2.5 |
| ManchesterUnited Kingdom | 52 | 89.3 | -9 | -1.3 |
| RotterdamNetherlands | 52 | 89.3 | -9 | -1.3 |
| LondonUnited Kingdom | 54 | 89.2 | -9 | -1.3 |
| AmsterdamNetherlands | 25 | 93.3 | -6 | -1.3 |
| EdinburghUnited Kingdom | 64 | 87.3 | -5 | -1.2 |
| TaichungTaiwan | 79 | 80.7 | -5 | -1.3 |
| TorontoCanada | 16 | 94.9 | -4 | -0.9 |
| LisbonPortugal | 60 | 88.3 | -4 | -0.7 |
Relocation context
What changed in the 2025 results
The ranking is city-level, so pair it with visa rules, tax exposure, school fit, neighbourhood safety, housing supply, and healthcare access before choosing a destination.
global average
The EIU reported the global average score was unchanged from 2024, with city gains offset by weaker stability.
North America
The EIU summary report put North America's average overall score at 90.4, while Canadian healthcare scores pulled the region lower.
biggest mover
Al Khobar recorded the largest improvement in the EIU summary report, while Jakarta rose ten places.
lowest score
Damascus remained at the bottom of the EIU summary report's 2025 liveability coverage.
Sources
Official methodology, summary data, and caveats
The public EIU summary provides the top ten, bottom ten, and largest movers. EIU's complete 173-city ranking and category matrix is a paid product, so this page does not fabricate a full free table.
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