Copenhagen has officially secured the number one position on the annual livability list released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for 2026. This marks the second consecutive year the Danish capital has claimed the top spot, successfully holding off Austria’s Vienna, which had previously enjoyed a three-year reign. The EIU, a sister organization to The Economist magazine, evaluated 173 cities worldwide based on metrics such as education, stability, healthcare, infrastructure, and culture. Copenhagen achieved perfect scores in the categories of stability, infrastructure, and education.
A spokesperson for the EIU attributed the city’s persistent success to a winning combination of high-quality public services, a vibrant culture, and an excellent environment. While Western Europe remains the strongest region for overall livability, its average score saw a slight dip to 91.7 compared to the previous year. Conversely, Asia’s average score rose to 73.9, driven largely by healthcare improvements in cities like Fuzhou, China. The EIU noted that increased funding and new long-term care insurance schemes have bolstered healthcare provision across Chinese cities.
In the United States, New York climbed three places to 66th, benefiting from improved stability scores linked to lower crime rates and reduced risks of terrorism. Despite this, Honolulu remains the highest-ranked U.S. city at 25th, while Vancouver is the only North American entry in the global top 10. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom saw Manchester emerge as its highest-ranked city at 52nd, outperforming London at 54th and Edinburgh at 64th.
The rankings also reflected the impact of regional conflicts. Middle Eastern cities, particularly in the Gulf region, experienced declines in stability. Muscat fell 14 places to 123rd, and Kuwait City dropped 12 spots to 105th. Tehran dropped to 164th due to the ongoing war, while Kyiv, Ukraine, fell to 166th. Damascus, Syria, remains at the bottom of the list. EIU industry director Ana Nicholls noted that global stability declines in the Middle East and healthcare gains in Asia effectively balanced each other out, resulting in a consistent global average score.
The top 10 cities for 2026 are: 1. 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; and 10. Tokyo, Japan.
Another Australian city, Sydney, jumped from sixth to fourth place.
“Score increases in Asia mean that there are now nine Asian cities in the top 20, alongside seven European cities.” 1.
