The 10 Most Livable Cities in the World (2025)
Every year, cities across the world are measured to see how livable they are. Not based on luxury or popularity, but on the things that truly make life easier, safety, access to healthcare, good education, decent infrastructure, and the kind of environment people can grow in.
It’s important to pause and think about this. Because while no place is perfect, there are places that have done well to create balance for the people living in them. That balance—between comfort and opportunity, between safety and freedom—is what makes a city livable.
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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index, these are the ten cities that stood out in 2025:
Top 10 Most Livable Cities in 2025
| Rank | City | Country | Liveability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 98.0 |
| 2 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | 97.1 |
| 2 | Zurich | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 97.1 |
| 4 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia | 97.0 |
| 5 | Geneva | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 96.8 |
| 6 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | 96.6 |
| 7 | Osaka | 🇯🇵 Japan | 96.0 |
| 7 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 96.0 |
| 9 | Adelaide | 🇦🇺 Australia | 95.9 |
| 10 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | 95.8 |
Copenhagen leads the chart this year, after years of Vienna taking the top spot. Denmark’s capital scored highly in all the areas that matter—education, stability, infrastructure. That kind of consistency isn’t accidental. It reflects long-term planning and genuine attention to the well-being of people.
Vienna and Zurich tied in second place. But Vienna’s rating dropped slightly after a few security threats affected its overall stability. That alone reminds us how fragile peace can be, even in strong cities. Still, both cities continue to reflect systems that are working for their people, not against them.
Switzerland did well overall—two of its cities made the top five. Not just because of their scenery, but because of how well they function day to day. In fact, Switzerland also ranked as the best place to live and work for migrants in 2025.
Australia also maintained a strong presence. With Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide on the list, it shows how one country can spread its livability across multiple cities. It’s not just about one city being good—it’s about making things work for more people in more places.
Vancouver stood out as North America’s only top 10 entry, especially after Calgary experienced a sharp drop. A decline in healthcare performance pushed it from 5th in 2024 down to 18th in 2025. That’s the weight of one key area pulling an entire city down the list—showing how no area can be neglected.
The overall average livability score for 2025 was 76.1, unchanged from the previous year. But while the number stayed the same, many cities saw a drop in their stability scores—a sign that global tension and local unrest are quietly affecting daily life in many places.
