View of the historic Zurich city center with the famous Fraumünster church on the Limmat.
Which cities are probably the most livable on this planet? Every 12 months, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranks cities all over the world by way of their quality of life and publishes the highly anticipated Global Quality of Life Index 2024.
The EIU report examines 173 cities using 30 indicators divided into several categories, including stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. It then rates them on a 100-point scale. The goal? To show how livable these cities are.
The most livable city on this planet
For the third 12 months in a row, Vienna, Austria – a spot celebrated for its unmatched mixture of cultural richness and basic public services – takes the title of the world’s most liveable city.
“Vienna again achieved the maximum score (out of 100) in four of the five categories this year, although the score for culture and environment was not quite as good at 93.5 points due to the lack of major sporting events,” Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy director of industry on the EIU, told me in an interview.
Vienna has been named probably the most livable city on this planet for the third time in a row. Pictured: St. … [+]
Overall, Western Europe stays the world’s most livable region, with eight cities in the highest 20. Second on the list – also for the third 12 months in a row – is Copenhagen, Denmark. Zurich, Switzerland, displaced Melbourne, Australia, to take third place on the list in 2024 (a position it held in 2022). Compare these results to 2023 and 2022.
Global Trends
So what do the outcomes say about global quality of life? This 12 months’s report shows a positive trend, driven largely by significant improvements in health and education in developing countries. However, these gains are somewhat offset by declining scores in several top cities. Geopolitical risks also had an impact on the general index.
“Global quality of life has improved slightly over the past year, but risks to stability remain,” says Bhattacharyya. “High inflation, accompanied by interest rates and other economic headwinds, has led to frequent protests around the world.”
According to Bhattacharyya, one surprise on this 12 months’s results is: “Overall, cities in developing countries have made significant progress in improving their standards of living, while cities in rich countries have seen a decline in their results.”
The most livable cities within the USA
This 12 months, the U.S. again didn’t make the list of the 20 best places to live – nevertheless it moved up, with Honolulu taking the highest spot as probably the most livable U.S. city for the second 12 months in a row. Honolulu ranked twenty third on the general list – up two spots from 2023, when it was ranked twenty fifth. Honolulu did well because of its solid educational institutions. It also scored highly by way of stability in comparison with other U.S. cities.
A notable trend within the US is that smaller cities are likely to perform higher than the biggest metropolises. Along with Honolulu at the highest, Pittsburgh (third), Boston (seventh) and Minneapolis (tenth) made the list of the highest 10 places to maneuver to within the US. “The most populous cities in the US, such as New York (70th) and Los Angeles (58th), score impressively for their cultural offerings, but perform worse in terms of stability and infrastructure,” says Bhattacharyya.
Across North America, values fell – and the housing market was an enormous reason, especially in Canada. Toronto fell from the highest 10 in 2023 to twelfth in 2024. “The main reason for the decline in North America’s values in this year’s index is a lower infrastructure score for Canada due to low housing supply,” says Bhattacharyya. “As in some other developed countries, home price growth in Canada accelerated significantly during the pandemic when mortgages were quite cheap. The combination of low housing supply and strong population growth, further fueled by high immigration levels, has led to record low vacancy rates.”
In the US, several aspects played a job. “Cities in the US struggle with some well-known structural problems that affect their scores in our index,” says Bhattacharyya. “First and foremost is the higher rate of social unrest, which is often rooted in racial inequality. In addition, weak gun laws mean that crime is often violent and deadly, undermining social cohesion.”
The coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, voted probably the most livable place within the USA
The biggest changes
Although Europe dominates the highest 20 with eight cities on the list, it faces challenges and has the biggest decline because of falling stability scores. An increase in protests across Western Europe – starting from right-wing extremism to EU agricultural policy – reflects underlying societal tensions that would threaten future stability.
Hong Kong made the largest jump globally, improving its stability rating. Healthcare in Hong Kong has also improved over time. “Although Hong Kong is not quite back to pre-2019 levels, its political landscape has stabilized and the risk of disruption from mass protests is now negligible,” says Bhattacharyya. “The national security law and local regulations introduced in early 2024 have restored political stability.”
But Hong Kong also has some disadvantages, says Bhattacharyya. “This change in score represents a huge compromise for Hong Kong’s civil society, as shown by the city’s declining score in our separately published Democracy Index.”
Meanwhile, there are major differences within the Middle East and North Africa. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas is having a major impact on Tel Aviv, which has fallen 20 places to 112th place.
On the opposite hand, Gulf cities similar to Dubai and Abu Dhabi have significantly improved their quality of life scores. “This year, Dubai, along with Abu Dhabi, achieved the highest quality of life level in our index (i.e. a score of 80 or higher). Both cities score highly in stability, infrastructure and education and have seen a steady improvement in their overall ratings over the past few years,” says Bhattacharyya.
Saudi Arabia also performed well. “In recent years, Saudi Arabian cities have invested heavily in domestic infrastructure, education and health to become more attractive to foreign tourists and expatriates and to diversify their economies,” says Bhattacharyya. “These efforts have been rewarded with upward movements in the rankings.”
Read on to see the rankings of probably the most livable cities on this planet and the United States.
A view of traditional houses within the Nyhavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark, which is one in all the world’s … [+]
Ranking: The 20 most livable cities on this planet
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada (same time as Geneva)
5. Geneva, Switzerland (simultaneous)
7. Sydney, Australia (same time as Vancouver)
7. Vancouver, Canada (this)
9. Osaka, Japan (same time as Auckland)
9. Auckland, New Zealand (simultaneous)
11. Adelaide, Australia
12. Toronto, Canada
13. Helsinki, Finland
14. Tokyo, Japan
15. Perth, Australia
16. Brisbane, Australia
17. Frankfurt, Germany (same time as Luxembourg)
17. Luxembourg, Luxembourg (draw)
19. Amsterdam, Netherlands
20. Wellington, New Zealand
Honolulu was named probably the most livable city within the United States and the twenty third most livable place within the … [+]
Ranking: The 10 most livable cities within the USA
1. Honolulu, Hawaii (overall rating: 23)
2. Atlanta, Georgia (Overall rank: 29)
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Overall rank: 30)
4. Seattle, Washington (Overall rank: 34)
5. Washington DC (overall rating: 38)
6. Chicago, Illinois (Overall rank: 39)
7. Boston, Massachusetts (Overall rank: 45)
8. Miami, Florida (Overall rank: 47)
9. San Francisco, California (Overall rank: 49)
10. Minneapolis, Minnesota (Overall rank: 50)
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