Is your city liveable?
It started life as a Viking fishing village, has more bikes than people in it – and has once again been crowned the world’s most liveable city. Step forward Copenhagen. The Danish capital has retained its place atop the annual Global Liveability Index – edging out Vienna (second) and Melbourne (third) – scoring perfect marks for education, infrastructure and stability. Long considered a world leader for sustainable living, Copenhagen has inspired cities around the world to follow its lead in embracing cycle culture. There’s even a term for it: ‘Copenhagenisation’. The city’s people-first approach to urban planning helped it to top the annual index, which is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It assesses 173 cities across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Switzerland is the only other European nation to feature in the top 10 of the latest index, with Zurich ranking fifth and Geneva coming sixth. Japan also has two cities in the top 10, Osaka (seventh) and Tokyo (tenth), while Australia has three: Melbourne (third), Sydney (fourth) and Adelaide (eighth). The highest-placed UK city is Manchester (52nd). Stagnating liveability scores in Europe and improvements in Asian cities were the main themes of this year’s index. “Western Europe is still the strongest region for liveability, but its average score has stagnated in the 2026 index, while Asia’s has risen,” the report’s authors noted. “There are now nine Asian cities in the top 20, and seven European cities.” There were some glimmers of good news even at the bottom of the index. While the Syrian capital, Damascus, remains the lowest ranked city, authors noted that scores for healthcare have “improved markedly” since Bashar al-Assad’s regime was overthrown.
The most liveable cities, according to the EIU
- Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6. Geneva, Switzerland
7. Osaka, Japan
8. Adelaide, Australia
9. Vancouver, Canada
10. Tokyo, Japan
This study comes as the feedback from European visitors to the US for the FIFA tournament says the opposite. Hmm?!
City slicker snickers
Did you know there’s a city in Ohio called “Engagement?”
It’s somewhere between Dayton and Marion.
What’s the largest city in America?
Obesity
Which German city smells the nicest?
Cologne.
I just sold my collection of Swiss watches to a friend in Mexico City.
Adios Omegas.
A city was stolen today in the North of England.
Police are desperately looking for Leeds.
July 13th Birthdays
1994 – Linnea Berthelsen, 1977 – Ashley Scott, 2000 – Brook Sorenson, 1951 – Didi Conn
1941 – Patrick Stewart, 1970 – Ken Jeong, 1946 – Cheech Marin, 1942 – Harrison Ford