World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2026: Copenhagen Keeps Top Spot as Asian Cities Surge

Every year the Economist Intelligence Unit puts out its Global Liveability Index, a hefty spreadsheet that tries to capture how comfortable life really is in a city. It looks at everything from health care and education to how safe you feel walking home at night. In the 2026 edition, the numbers line up in a way that feels both familiar and a little surprising.

First, the headline‑grabber: Copenhagen, Denmark, is again the world’s most liveable city. It chalked up a near‑perfect 98 out of 100, earning flawless marks in stability, education and infrastructure. That’s the second straight year the Danes can brag about being at the top of the list – a rare feat when you think about how many places are jostling for that honour.

Right behind the capital comes Vienna, Austria, a city that has long been praised for its cultural cachet and efficient public services. In third place sits Melbourne, Australia, a sunny, coffee‑loving hub that consistently scores high on health and education. The top‑ten is a pretty eclectic mix – Sydney, Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver and Tokyo round it out, each bringing its own flavour of livability.

What’s catching a lot of eyes, though, is the upward tick in Asia. The region’s average score crept up by 0.3 points to 73.9, the biggest jump of any continent. Nine Asian cities now make the top‑20, a sign that heavy public investment in health care – especially in China – is starting to pay off. Fuzhou jumped seven spots to land at 93rd, while Japan’s capital, Tokyo, rose to 10th place.

Western Europe still leads the pack as the highest‑scoring region overall, averaging 91.7. But the story of Asia’s rise adds a new layer to the conversation about where the world’s most attractive urban environments are heading.

Stability, however, is the one metric that’s slipped across the board. The average stability score fell by half a point, with the steepest declines recorded in Southwest Asia and North Africa – a whole point drop for those regions. Muscat and Kuwait City slid dramatically, falling 14 and 12 places respectively, and Tehran slipped into the bottom ten, landing at 164th.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Damascus sits stubbornly at the very bottom, followed closely by Tripoli. These rankings remind us that livability isn’t just about parks and museums; political unrest and basic safety still weigh heavily on people’s everyday experience.

Below is a quick glance at the cities that topped the list and those that struggled the most.

Top Ten Most Liveable Cities (2026)

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

Bottom Ten (Least Liveable)

164. Tehran, Iran
165. Harare, Zimbabwe
166. Kyiv, Ukraine
167. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
168. Lagos, Nigeria
169. Algiers, Algeria
170. Karachi, Pakistan
171. Dhaka, Bangladesh
172. Tripoli, Libya
173. Damascus, Syria

Overall, the global average score stays steady at 76.1. Gains in health care, education and infrastructure are essentially cancelling out the dip in stability. For city planners, policymakers and anyone who’s ever wondered where the next “best place to live” might be, the 2026 numbers suggest a world in transition – with Europe still leading, Asia catching up, and a reminder that political stability remains a crucial piece of the puzzle.