Vienna is the world's most liveable city in 2024
Vienna, Austria has once again topped the list of the world's most liveable cities for the third year running, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU evaluated 173 cities worldwide on factors such as health care, culture and environment, stability, infrastructure, and education. Despite a lower score in culture and environment due to a lack of significant sporting events, Vienna achieved "perfect" scores in four out of five categories.
Western Europe dominates, while North America excels in education
Western Europe emerged as the top-performing region with 30 cities scoring an average of 92 out of 100. However, the region experienced a decline in stability scores due to "increasing instances of disruptive protests" and crime. North America, on the other hand, achieved the highest average score for education. Yet, infrastructure marks fell in Canada due to "an acute housing crisis," impacting several regions.
Mixed results for US cities, London ranks 45th globally
In the United States, Honolulu, Hawaii secured the highest rank at 23rd place while Atlanta, Georgia climbed four places to number 29. Los Angeles and New York were further down the list at 58th and 70th place respectively. Meanwhile, London was ranked as the 45th most liveable city globally. These rankings reflect a diverse range of liveability scores across different cities worldwide.
Asian and Middle Eastern cities show significant movement
In Asia, Hong Kong made a significant leap from 61st to 50th place due to improved stability and health care scores. Several cities in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, along with Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar also climbed up the list. However, Tel Aviv in Israel experienced a notable drop, falling 20 places to 112th due to the Israel-Hamas war.
'Risks to stability remain' despite global liveability increase
According to Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at EIU, global liveability has seen a slight increase over the past year, though stability risks persist. The least liveable city continues to be Damascus in Syria, followed by Libya's Tripoli, Algeria's Algiers and Nigeria's Lagos. These rankings highlight the ongoing challenges faced by cities at the bottom of the list.
Copenhagen holds 2nd position, Zurich climbs to 3rd
Copenhagen of Denmark held onto its second-place position just behind Vienna, with Zurich of Switzerland rising to third from sixth. Melbourne of Australia dropped to fourth from third, while Calgary of Canada tied for fifth with Geneva of Switzerland. Vancouver of Canada and Sydney of Australia shared seventh place, with Osaka of Japan and Auckland of New Zealand tied for ninth in the rankings.
