BrazilVienna and Copenhagen the most liveable cities in the world
Several Western European cities made it to the top 10 on a list of the most liveable cities in the world. The list is topped by the Austrian capital Vienna, followed by Denmark’s capital Copenhagen.
Vienna, the lovely, former imperial city with a population of nearly 2 million, was listed as the number one most liveable city in the world, a place which it previously occupied in 2018 and 2019. Also in the top 10 were the Swiss cities of Zurich (6th) and Geneva (7th). Several Canadian cities also made it to the top 10 list, including Vancouver in 5th place.
The Global Liveability Index of 173 cities around the world, made by analyzing various ‘quality of life’ indicators, is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the consulting and research arm of long-running British magazine The Economist.
Vienna is considered the most liveable city in the world “owing to its winning combination of stability, good culture and entertainment, reliable infrastructure, and exemplary education and health services,” according to the report. The index takes into consideration a long list of factors within five categories, including things like crime, weather, roads, and water quality.
The top rank is not new for Vienna. In a similar study conducted annually be Mercer ( the ‘Quality of Living Ranking’), Vienna has held the top spot in eight of the past ten editions.
In the ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit, US cities have fallen significantly behind. While the index does not show the exact ratings of all 173 cities across the world, it notes that two Californian cities, Los Angeles and San Diego, both slipped down 17 places in the list.
The US has seen a decline in quality of life in the past decade, with various aspects of life being more difficult for Americans, including even a decline in life expectancy.
Among the cities that moved up the ranks most significantly since last year’s index were several Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Hong Kong, along with some European underdogs like Bucharest, Romania. At the very bottom of the list were war-torn, corrupt, and generally chaotic or dangerous places like the Syrian city of Damascus, the Libyan city Tripoli, and Kyiv in Ukraine.
