The Austrian city of Vienna has reaffirmed its status as the best city in the world to live in 2024, according to the annual report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), released on Wednesday, July 26. This marks the third consecutive year that Vienna has claimed the top spot, further consolidating its reputation as one of the most attractive cities to live in and visit.
The EIU, an affiliate of The Economist magazine, evaluated the quality of life in 173 cities worldwide, considering a variety of crucial criteria. These criteria include the quality of healthcare, cultural opportunities, environmental conditions, social stability, infrastructure, and education quality.
Vienna stood out once again, receiving maximum scores in four out of the five categories assessed. The city experienced a slight decline in its overall rating regarding culture and environment, reflecting the lack of major sporting events that could have elevated its cultural and social profile. Despite this, Vienna continues to lead indisputably in terms of quality of life, showcasing its excellence in other evaluated areas.
The EIU’s list provides a detailed overview of the best cities to live in, helping expatriates and investors better understand what each destination has to offer. Alongside Vienna, Copenhagen, the Danish capital, also maintained a prominent position, standing out as one of the best cities to live in, known for its balance between quality of life and sustainable development.
As the world continues to evolve, analyzing the best cities to live in becomes an essential tool for those seeking a high-quality and well-rounded urban lifestyle.
In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2024 ranking, Vienna remains the champion, but other cities also delivered noteworthy performances. Copenhagen, Denmark, held its solid second place, reaffirming its reputation as an excellent place to live. Zurich, Switzerland, made significant progress, climbing from sixth to third place, thanks to its high quality of life.
Melbourne, Australia, saw a slight drop, moving from third to fourth place. Meanwhile, Calgary, Canada, tied for fifth place with Geneva, Switzerland, demonstrating the growing competitiveness between Canadian and Swiss cities.
Vancouver, Canada, and Sydney, Australia, share the seventh position, highlighting the consistent presence of Australian and Canadian cities at the top of the rankings. Osaka, Japan, and Auckland, New Zealand, completed the top 10, sharing ninth place and reinforcing the presence of Asia-Pacific cities in this select group.
Although Western Europe showed solid overall performance, with 30 cities achieving an impressive average score of 92 out of 100, there was a decline in scores related to political stability. This drop was attributed to an increase in disruptive protests and rising crime rates in the region.
Among U.S. cities, Honolulu, Hawaii, stood out as the highest-ranked, occupying the 23rd position. Atlanta, Georgia, also performed notably, climbing four spots to 29th place. On the other hand, Los Angeles ranked 58th, and New York dropped to 70th, reflecting specific challenges faced by these large American cities.
This overview reveals the complex dynamics affecting the quality of life in cities worldwide, offering valuable insights for those seeking the best urban environments to live in.
In 2024, North America achieved the highest average score in education, reflecting the region’s strong educational systems. However, infrastructure suffered a blow due to an “acute housing crisis,” which affected several areas, particularly in Canada. This issue resulted in lower infrastructure scores compared to the previous year.
The report highlights that the housing crisis is an increasing concern, especially in Australia and Canada. The availability of rental properties remains low, and purchase prices continue to rise, even with recent interest rate hikes. This contributed to a negative impact on infrastructure scores for several cities, reflecting the growing difficulty in meeting housing demand.
As a result, Vancouver, while still in the top 10, saw a decline in its ranking. Toronto, which ranked ninth on the 2023 list, failed to maintain its top-10 position and fell to 12th place.
The U.K. capital, London, was ranked as the 45th most livable city in the world, a position that reflects specific challenges faced by the city, including issues related to cost of living and infrastructure.
In Asia, Hong Kong showed the most significant improvement in its score since last year, rising from 61st to 50th place. This improvement was driven by advances in stability and healthcare quality, indicating significant progress in managing these critical aspects.
These dynamics underline the complexity of factors influencing quality of life in global cities, including housing, education, and infrastructure, offering deeper insights into urban conditions across different world regions.
In 2024, cities in the United Arab Emirates experienced some of the most significant score increases in the livability ranking. Abu Dhabi and Dubai climbed significantly on the list, reflecting improvements in urban conditions and quality of life. Additionally, Saudi cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar also recorded notable advances, emerging as increasingly attractive destinations for residents and visitors.
However, Tel Aviv, Israel, saw one of the largest drops in the ranking, falling 20 positions to 112th place. This decline was attributed to the ongoing impact of the war between Israel and Hamas, which severely affected the city’s stability and living conditions.
Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at the EIU, commented on the global situation, noting that “global livability has slightly improved in the past year, but risks to stability remain.” He pointed out that “high inflation accompanied by high-interest rates and other economic issues have led to another year of frequent protests around the world.”
The bottom of the list showed little change, with Damascus, Syria, maintaining its position as the least livable city in the world. Following Damascus are Tripoli, Libya; Algiers, Algeria; and Lagos, Nigeria, all facing challenging conditions that negatively impact quality of life.
These findings reflect the complexity of challenges faced by cities around the world, with significant variations in living conditions and political stability shaping global livability.
The 2024 Global Livability Index reveals the cities that excel in quality of life. Here are the top 10:
- Vienna, Austria
Vienna continues to be the city with the highest global quality of life, maintaining its leadership for the third consecutive year. - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen holds firm in second place, known for its balance between quality of life and sustainable practices. - Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich climbed to third place, standing out for its excellence in infrastructure and stability. - Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, previously in third place, now occupies fourth, offering a high-quality urban environment. - Calgary, Canada
Calgary shares fifth place with Geneva, Switzerland, reflecting its strong performance in quality of life. - Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva also shines in fifth place, known for its stability and excellent healthcare system. - Sydney, Australia
Sydney ties for seventh place, standing out for its quality of life and infrastructure. - Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver, also in seventh place, remains an attractive destination despite recent housing challenges. - Osaka, Japan
Osaka is part of the top 10, offering a high quality of life in one of Japan’s most dynamic cities. - Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland completes the top 10, reflecting a high-quality living environment in New Zealand.
The study observed that the four cities at the bottom of the ranking showed no improvement in their overall scores since 2023. Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at the EIU, commented on the impact of protests worldwide, including those on U.S. college campuses. He indicated that “the continued stress on livability is unlikely to ease soon,” suggesting that the conditions for improving global quality of life remain challenging.
