Move over, Vienna: There’s a new top metropolis in town.
Copenhagen, the capital of Demark, is now the world’s most livable city, according to an annual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (the EIU). The Scandinavian epicenter has ousted Vienna from the top spot, which the Austrian capital had held for the past three years, CNN reported.
To make its list, the EIU considers factors such as health care and environment, among others. In total, 173 cities around the world were ranked, but, of course, only one could take the crown. Copenhagen got perfect scores in the categories of stability, education, and infrastructure, which helped it snag that No. 1 spot. (Last year, the city sat at No. 2.)
Following behind the Danish capital is Vienna and Zurich in Switzerland, both tied for second. Moving down the rest of the list, Melbourne, Australia, Geneva, Switzerland, and Sydney, Australia, are slotted at No. 4, No. 5., and No. 6, respectively. Japan’s Osaka and New Zealand’s Auckland, meanwhile, are tied for the seventh spot. Rounding out the top 10 is Adelaide, in Australia, and Vancouver, in Canada. Stateside, Hawaii’s Honolulu was the highest-ranked city in the U.S., sitting at No. 23.
Vienna, previously No. 1, is now tied for second on the list.
Andrew Michael/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The reason for Vienna’s drop to second place lies in its stability score, which saw a steep plummet since last year. That figure saw a decline, in part, due to terrorist incidents, including last year’s bomb threat that imperiled a Taylor Swift concert (which went on to be canceled as a result), CNN reported.
“Global liveability has remained flat over the past year, and as in 2024, scores for stability have declined at a global level,” Barsali Bhattacharyya, the EIU’s deputy industry director, said in a press statement.
The U.K., like Austria, also had some of its cities move down the list. Manchester, London, and Edinburgh all received decreases scores in the stability; this follows an online misinformation push that stoked anti-immigration riots and unrest in the nation last year in the wake of a stabbing in northern England, according to CNN. Canada, too, saw some struggles, with Calgary dropping from No. 5 in 2024 to No. 18 after a lower score in health care. Toronto, meanwhile, ranked in 16th on the 2025 list, while coming in 12th in the previous iteration. And Vancouver, though still in the top 10, was slated at No. 7 last year.
Other locales, though, saw movement on the ranking. Al Khobar, a city perched on the Persian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, is now No. 135, up 13 from last year’s 148th spot. Jakarta, in Indonesia, also gained a bit, jumping from 142 to 132 with a boost in its stability category.
The Top 10 of 2025’s Global Liveability Index:
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Geneva, Switzerland
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Osaka, Japan
7. Auckland, New Zealand
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Vancouver, Canada
