Copenhagen just took the crown as the world’s most livable city.
The Danish capital knocked Vienna off its throne after three years at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) most livable cities rankings.
The EIU’s 2025 index, released Tuesday, scored 173 cities across five main categories: Stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.Â
Copenhagen earned a perfect score of 100 for stability, education and infrastructure, further cementing Western Europe’s grip on the top of the rankings. Vienna, along with Zurich and Geneva, also landed in the top five.
Three Australian cities — Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide — cracked the top ten, joined by nearby Auckland, New Zealand. Vancouver in Canada was the lone North American city to make the cut, coming in at No. 10.
Overall, global livability remained flat over the past year, with an average city score of 76.1 out of 100.
Stability scores continued to decline amid geopolitical tensions, but the report noted those losses were offset by modest gains in health care, education and infrastructure.
Where do U.S. cities rank?
Honolulu was the highest-ranked U.S. city on the list, coming in No. 23, followed by Atlanta at No. 29.
Smaller cities tend to perform well on the index due to lower crime levels and fewer terrorism threats. New York City ranked 69th, for example.
Miami and Portland, Oregon, tied for 44th — up three spots from last year. Charlotte, N.C. and Indianapolis also climbed three places, landing at 50th.
Declining health care scores for the four Canadian cities included in the index helped drag down the overall average for North America compared to a year ago — a regional dip that researchers said could continue.
“With the Trump administration in the U.S. proposing to cut public spending on education and health care, the region remains susceptible to further downgrades in future editions,” researchers wrote in the report.
On the other end of the rankings, Damascus, Syria, was ranked the world’s least livable city, scoring particularly low for stability and health care.
Tripoli, Lybia; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Karachi, Pakistan and Algiers, Algeria, also ranked in the bottom five.
These are the 10 most livable cities in 2025.
10 – Vancouver, Canada
Downtown skyline in Vancouver, Canada. (Getty Images)
- Index: 95.8
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 95.8
- Culture and environment: 97.2
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 92.9
9 – Adelaide, Australia
The skyline of Adelaide. Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa (Photo by Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
- Index: 95.9
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 91.4
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
7 – Auckland, New Zealand (tie)
The skyline of Auckland. Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa (Photo by Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
- Index: 96.0
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 95.8
- Culture and environment: 97.9
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 92.9
7 – Osaka, Japan (tie)
Tourists take photos in Shinsekai with Tsutenkaku tower in sight in Osaka, Japan, on December 12, 2024. Shinsekai, which means ‘New World’ in Japanese, is an old neighborhood located in a downtown area in the southern part of Osaka City and is famous for Tsutenkaku tower. (Photo by Kichul Shin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
- Index: 96.0
- Stability: 100.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 86.8
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
6 – Sydney, Australia
Sydney Opera House and Sydney city center skyscrapers. (Photo by: Martin Berry/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
- Index: 96.6
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 94.4
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
5 – Geneva, Switzerland
A general view of the city center of Geneva, the second largest city in Switzerland, which attracts tourists with its historical structure and tranquility, on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Hamza Onder Kuloglu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
- Index: 96.8
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 94.9
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
4 – Melbourne, Australia
Rowers make their way along the Maribyrnong River towards the Melbourne skyline in the early morning light on April 18, 2023. – Melbourne has officially become Australia’s most populous city after an adjustment to the city boundaries which saw its population jump to 4,875,400, almost 19,000 more than Sydney, according to Australia’s Bureau of Statistics. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
- Index: 97.0
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 95.8
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
2 – Zurich, Switzerland (tie)
A small police motor boat travels on the Limmat river, which church spires to the rear, in central Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by: Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
- Index: 97.1
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 96.3
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 96.4
2 – Vienna, Austria (tie)
Trams pass the State Opera House on Ringstrasse, Vienna, Austria. (Photo by: Andrew Michael/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
- Index: 97.1
- Stability: 95.0
- Health care: 100.0
- Culture and environment: 93.5
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 100.0
1 – Copenhagen, Denmark
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – AUGUST 25: People paddle their stand-up paddleboards at Fisketorvet harbour bath in Copenhagen, Denmark, on August 25, 2022. On hot days, Copenhageners swim with the city’s skyline in free view. During the week, many locals pass the pool for a quick dip on their way home from work. Harbour baths are very popular among both locals and visitors. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
- Index: 98.0
- Stability: 100.0
- Health care: 95.8
- Culture and environment: 95.4
- Education: 100.0
- Infrastructure: 100.0
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