Vienna Reigns Supreme as World's Most Livable City

Overview

Vienna, Austria, has been crowned the world's most livable city for the third consecutive year, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2024 Global Liveability Index. This prestigious ranking is a testament to the city's exceptional quality of life, infrastructure, and social stability. The EIU's annual report assesses the livability of 173 cities worldwide based on 30 indicators grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Vienna's top ranking is attributed to its perfect scores in stability, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

Global Livability Landscape

• Asia-Pacific: Four cities from the Asia-Pacific region made it into the top 10: Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Osaka, Japan; and Auckland, New Zealand.
• North America: Despite the ongoing housing crisis in Canada, the region still ranks second for livability, with Vancouver and Calgary among the top 10.
• Europe: Western Europe remains the best-performing region, with all eight cities in the top 20 hailing from the continent.

Asia's Rising Stars

Several Asian cities have made significant strides in livability. Hong Kong recorded the most notable improvement, jumping from 61st to 50th place. This is attributed to the restoration of political stability and improvements in healthcare.

Other Asian cities in the top 10 include Singapore, which ranked 26th; Tokyo, Japan, at 14th; and Osaka, Japan, tied for 9th.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Despite its overall high livability, the stability category experienced the biggest decline globally. This is primarily due to geopolitical conflicts, civil unrest, and the ongoing housing crisis. The EIU highlights that while 58 Asian cities have achieved high livability scores, 11 cities still face significant challenges due to structural, political, and climatic issues.

The least livable cities in the world are predominantly located in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa regions. Damascus, Syria, and Tripoli, Libya, rank as the lowest due to ongoing civil unrest and economic hardship.