Knowledge Nugget: Why is the Global Liveability Index 2025 relevant for UPSC Exam?
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on Global Liveability Index 2025.
(Relevance: UPSC frequently asks questions on reports and indices. The key takeaways from these reports are also essential fodder for your Mains examination for intricate points. In 2023, UPSC has asked questions on the World Water Development Report; in 2019, the question was on the Global Competitiveness Report. Therefore, you need to get a comprehensive understanding of these indices.)
Urbanisation and urban migration have increased in recent years as people pursue better economic opportunities and living conditions. This has led to the concept of liveable cities—places that are sustainable, inclusive, and offer essential services, amenities, and opportunities for both personal and professional growth. In this context, let's know about the Global Liveability Index 2025 and its key highlights.
1. Global Liveability Index 2025, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), assesses which locations around the world offer the best and worst living conditions.
2. Methodology and Indicators: The EIU's Global Liveability Index 2025 assessed 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators across theses five categories to disclose how comfortable these cities are to live in.
📌Stability,
📌Healthcare,
📌Culture and environment,
📌Education, and
📌Infrastructure.
3. Each indicator is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. The ratings are then weighted to provide a score from 1 to 100. The liveability rating of a city is given both as an overall score and as a score for each category. An overall position in the ranking of 173 cities is also provided.
1. This year's global average livability score across the 173 cities in the index was the same as last year, at 76.1 out of 100.
2. The index saw overall gains in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in 2025; however, the global average stability scores declined by 0.2 points amid rising geopolitical instability, civil unrest, and the global housing crisis.
3. Copenhagen has claimed the top spot to become the world's most liveable city in 2025, ending Vienna's three-year dominance by achieving perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure. The Austrian city saw a massive decline in its stability score due to terror threats, yet it outpaced the Danish capital in healthcare.
4. Western European cities once again dominated the global liveability rankings in 2025, followed closely by the Asia Pacific region, and the Canadian city, Vancouver represented North America in the top ten.
5. In contrast, cities in the Middle East and Africa ranked among the least liveable; however, on a more positive note, with marginal improvements in healthcare, education and infrastructure on average.
-care
Note: While there are no formal rankings for 3rd and 4th place, their relative positions are implied by their differing scores. (Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025.)
6. At the other end of the spectrum, cities in conflict zones or those battling weak infrastructure and public services continued to rank poorly.
7. Among the least Least Liveable Cities in 2025, Damascus retained its position as the least liveable city in the world, scoring just 30.7. Tripoli, Dhaka, and Karachi also remained near the bottom.
8. Notably, Stability scores have also declined in places like Tehran, Taiwan, and India due to mounting tensions and the threat of armed conflict.
1. The Smart Cities Mission was launched on June 25, 2015 with the aim of creating 100 smart cities. The cities were selected in rounds of competition held from January 2016 to June 2018, and they had five years from their respective selection, that is 2021 to 2023, to complete the projects.
2. Among its strategic components was 'area-based development', which includes city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (greenfield development), plus a pan-city initiative in which 'smart solutions' are applied covering larger parts of the city.
1. Statutory towns — those which have urban local bodies like municipal corporation, municipality or municipal committee.
2. Census towns — All those places satisfying the following 3 criteria:
a) Population of atleast 5000 persons.
b) Minimum population density of 400 persons per sq. km. and
c) 75 per cent of the male workforce is employed in non-agricultural activities
3. In 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs decided to push the deadline for all 100 cities to June 2023. The deadline was further pushed to June 30, 2024 and then to March 31, 2025.
Consider the following statements with regard to the Global Liveability Index 2025:
1. It is released by the World Economic Forum.
2. Copenhagen is the world's most liveable city in 2025.
3. Damascus is the least liveable city in the world.
How many of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
(Sources: World's top 10 most and least liveable cities in 2025, 7 % projects to continue as Smart Cities Mission set to end March 31,eiu.com)
Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨
Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Karnataka HC judge Justice HP Sandesh advises students to pursue knowledge and resilience for success
MADIKERI: Karnataka High Court Judge Justice H.P. Sandesh addressed students, emphasising that preserving humanity is a primary responsibility through which societal contributions should be made. Speaking at the Yuva Vikasana-25 programme, an informative workshop on UPSC, banking, and competitive examinations at Shanivarasanthe, he highlighted that students require a genuine desire for learning to achieve their objectives. The event was jointly organised by Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Kodagu Journalists' Association's Somwarpet Taluk Unit, BGS Seva Sangha, Kalale-Kudige, and Shanivarasante Bharathi Education Institution. Justice Sandesh emphasised that success comes through knowledge and dedication, encouraging students to cultivate discipline, punctuality, self-confidence, and fearlessness. He advised teachers to guide students in developing resilience when faced with adversity. M.B. Boralingaiah, the DIG (Southern range), noted that rural students often face limitations due to fear but can succeed through persistence and bravery. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo He stressed that education alone is insufficient and that skill development is crucial for securing positions. He advised students to regularly read newspapers and general knowledge publications to prepare for competitive examinations like UPSC, KPSC, and banking. Shambhunatha Swami, the head of Hassan's unit of Adichunchanagiri Mutt and Kodagu District Secretary of Adichunchanagiri Branch Math, observed that whilst science has numerous branches, comprehensive knowledge strengthens society. H.R. Harish Kumar, President of the Somwarpet Taluk Journalists' Association, Muralidhar, Founder President of Kodagu Journalists' Association, and resource persons P.C. Srinivas, Punith, H.T. Anil, and Girish Mallappa were present.
India.com
4 hours ago
- India.com
Meet Man Who Secured Just 60% In Class 10 But Cleared UPSC With AIR 3- Know All About His Inspiring Story
photoDetails english 2920611 Updated:Jun 23, 2025, 02:24 PM IST Who is Junaid Ahmad? 1 / 9 Junaid Ahmad is a young man from Nagina town in Bijnor district, Uttar Pradesh, who cracked the UPSC Civil Services Exam 2018 with an impressive All India Rank (AIR) 3. His journey from average student to national topper is an inspiring story of akhs of aspirants across India. His Early Academic Journey 2 / 9 Junaid was not very good at studies in his childhood, he scored only 60 per cent marks in his class 10th and 12 examination. Then he did his graduation in Bachelors of Technology (BTech) from Sharda University and scored 65 per cent in his graduation as well. Then after graduation, he decided to start preparing for the UPSC examination. UPSC 3 / 9 The UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of India's most prestigious exams, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. It selects candidates for top government positions like IAS, IPS, IFS, and more. The exam is conducted in three stages, Prelims, Mains, and Interview and tests a candidate's knowledge, personality, and decision-making skills. Four Attempts Of UPSC 4 / 9 Success just didn't come overnight to him. He got himself enrolled for free UPSC coaching and used to study 8-9 hours and despite all the hard work and dedication, he failed thrice in the UPSC examination and finally cleared it in his fourth attempt. He secured 352 AIR and got an offer from Indian Revenue Service. Becoming An IAS 5 / 9 Even after becoming IRS, he didn't stop because his dream was to become an IAS officer. So he kept preparing while getting training for his new job and finally in the 2018 UPSC examination, all his hard work paid off when he achieved the AIR 3 in one of the toughest exams of India,UPSC CSE exam. His Strategy To Crack UPSC 6 / 9 According to a Times Now report, Junaid only sticks to his NCERT books from class 9th for the prelims exam and for mains his advice is to read the newspaper daily and not just read but understand it, understand the issues and solutions. He tailored his strategy to suit his strengths instead of following the crowds. His Family 7 / 9 Junaid is from Uttar Pradesh and his father, Javed Hussain is a lawyer and his mother, Ayesha Raza is a homemaker. In Spite of failing four times his family never stopped supporting him to fulfil his dream of becoming an IAS officer. Junaid As an Inspiration 8 / 9 Junaid's story has inspired countless UPSC aspirants across the country. From being an average student to becoming one of India's top-ranked civil servants is a story which many students can relate to and look for. His journey proves that background or past performance is never a limit to what one can achieve. Lesson Learnt 9 / 9 Junaid is an epitome of hard work, dedication and resilience. His story is an example that just because you couldn't do something as a child doesn't mean you don't have potential and he taught the most important skill of never giving up after a failure.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: Why is the Global Liveability Index 2025 relevant for UPSC Exam?
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on Global Liveability Index 2025. (Relevance: UPSC frequently asks questions on reports and indices. The key takeaways from these reports are also essential fodder for your Mains examination for intricate points. In 2023, UPSC has asked questions on the World Water Development Report; in 2019, the question was on the Global Competitiveness Report. Therefore, you need to get a comprehensive understanding of these indices.) Urbanisation and urban migration have increased in recent years as people pursue better economic opportunities and living conditions. This has led to the concept of liveable cities—places that are sustainable, inclusive, and offer essential services, amenities, and opportunities for both personal and professional growth. In this context, let's know about the Global Liveability Index 2025 and its key highlights. 1. Global Liveability Index 2025, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), assesses which locations around the world offer the best and worst living conditions. 2. Methodology and Indicators: The EIU's Global Liveability Index 2025 assessed 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators across theses five categories to disclose how comfortable these cities are to live in. 📌Stability, 📌Healthcare, 📌Culture and environment, 📌Education, and 📌Infrastructure. 3. Each indicator is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. The ratings are then weighted to provide a score from 1 to 100. The liveability rating of a city is given both as an overall score and as a score for each category. An overall position in the ranking of 173 cities is also provided. 1. This year's global average livability score across the 173 cities in the index was the same as last year, at 76.1 out of 100. 2. The index saw overall gains in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in 2025; however, the global average stability scores declined by 0.2 points amid rising geopolitical instability, civil unrest, and the global housing crisis. 3. Copenhagen has claimed the top spot to become the world's most liveable city in 2025, ending Vienna's three-year dominance by achieving perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure. The Austrian city saw a massive decline in its stability score due to terror threats, yet it outpaced the Danish capital in healthcare. 4. Western European cities once again dominated the global liveability rankings in 2025, followed closely by the Asia Pacific region, and the Canadian city, Vancouver represented North America in the top ten. 5. In contrast, cities in the Middle East and Africa ranked among the least liveable; however, on a more positive note, with marginal improvements in healthcare, education and infrastructure on average. -care Note: While there are no formal rankings for 3rd and 4th place, their relative positions are implied by their differing scores. (Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025.) 6. At the other end of the spectrum, cities in conflict zones or those battling weak infrastructure and public services continued to rank poorly. 7. Among the least Least Liveable Cities in 2025, Damascus retained its position as the least liveable city in the world, scoring just 30.7. Tripoli, Dhaka, and Karachi also remained near the bottom. 8. Notably, Stability scores have also declined in places like Tehran, Taiwan, and India due to mounting tensions and the threat of armed conflict. 1. The Smart Cities Mission was launched on June 25, 2015 with the aim of creating 100 smart cities. The cities were selected in rounds of competition held from January 2016 to June 2018, and they had five years from their respective selection, that is 2021 to 2023, to complete the projects. 2. Among its strategic components was 'area-based development', which includes city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (greenfield development), plus a pan-city initiative in which 'smart solutions' are applied covering larger parts of the city. 1. Statutory towns — those which have urban local bodies like municipal corporation, municipality or municipal committee. 2. Census towns — All those places satisfying the following 3 criteria: a) Population of atleast 5000 persons. b) Minimum population density of 400 persons per sq. km. and c) 75 per cent of the male workforce is employed in non-agricultural activities 3. In 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs decided to push the deadline for all 100 cities to June 2023. The deadline was further pushed to June 30, 2024 and then to March 31, 2025. Consider the following statements with regard to the Global Liveability Index 2025: 1. It is released by the World Economic Forum. 2. Copenhagen is the world's most liveable city in 2025. 3. Damascus is the least liveable city in the world. How many of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None (Sources: World's top 10 most and least liveable cities in 2025, 7 % projects to continue as Smart Cities Mission set to end March 31, Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
