Latest news with #GlobalLiveabilityIndex2025
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
World's top 10 most and least liveable cities in 2025: Only one Asian city ranks high; Bangladesh and Pakistan among the lowest
Global Liveability Index 2025: In recent years, urban migration has risen as people seek better economic prospects and living standards, giving rise to the concept of liveable cities—sustainable, inclusive, and equipped with essential services, amenities, and opportunities that foster personal and professional growth. According to the recently released Global Liveability Index 2025 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the global average livability score across the 173 cities in the index was the same as last year, at 76.1 out of 100. 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. 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. 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. There were advancements within cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Al Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notably moving up the ranks. The Kingdom is spending extensively on healthcare and education as part of Vision 2030, a comprehensive economic diversification initiative aimed at reducing the country's dependency on oil. 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. Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025 Note: To view the complete scores across all indices, please scroll or swipe to the right At the other end of the spectrum, cities in conflict zones or those battling weak infrastructure and public services continued to rank poorly. 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. While some cities in the Middle East and Africa showed marginal improvements in infrastructure and healthcare, persistent instability continues to drag overall liveability down. Stability scores have also declined in places like Tehran, Taiwan, and India due to mounting tensions and the threat of armed conflict; listed below are the bottom 10 countries in the Global Liveability Index 2025: Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025 Note: To view the complete scores across all indices, please scroll or swipe to the right Methodology: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s Global Liveability Index 2025 assessed 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators divided into several factors like stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education, and infrastructure, to disclose how comfortable these cities are to live in. Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager - Content at The Indian Express. She is responsible for crafting compelling narratives, uncovering the latest news and developments, and driving engaging content based on data and trends to boost website traffic and audience engagement. One can connect with her on LinkedIn or by mail at ... Read More
Herald Sun
3 days ago
- Herald Sun
World's most liveable cities 2025 revealed, Australia ranks three times in top 10
Australia has impressively taken out three of the top 10 spots on the 2025 ranking of most liveable cities in the world. Melbourne has once again beat rival Sydney, coming in at number four on the Economist Intelligent Unit's annual Global Liveability Index. Sydney ranked sixth and Adelaide was ninth. The index assesses 173 cities around the world across the categories of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, was crowned the best city to live, ending Vienna's three-year run in the top spot. But, before Copenhagen and Vienna, it was Melbourne that held the title of world's most liveable city for seven years. Victoria's state capital got dethroned in 2018. The Economist Intelligent Unit's Global Liveability Index 2025. Copenhagen received perfect scores for stability, education and infrastructure. Austria's capital Vienna may no longer be number one, but it still placed second, tying with Switzerland's Zurich. Vienna's stability score fell significantly, attributed to incidents such as the bomb threat at Taylor Swift's August 2024 concert that led to the cancellation of three shows. EIU said overall this year's results reflected a continued decline in global stability, 'driven by intensifying geopolitical conflict and civil unrest'. Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide all earned perfect scores for healthcare and education this year. Melbourne was ranked fourth most liveable city in the world. Picture: iStock Australia's friend across the ditch, New Zealand, also made the top 10, with Auckland placing equal seventh with another city loved by Aussies — Osaka in Japan. About 920,000 Australians visited Japan in 2024, setting a new record. This year we're expected to break the one million mark for the first time. Switzerland made an appearance in the top 10 a second time, squeezing in between Melbourne and Sydney with Geneva in fifth place. Vancouver, Canada rounded out the top 10 as North America's only representative. The EIU said it lowered the healthcare scores this year for all four Canadian cities in the index. EIU deputy industry director Barsali Bhattacharyya told CNN there were 'long waiting lists for medical check-ups' and staff shortages at medical facilities and hospitals. Calgary dropped all the way from fifth place in 2024 to 18th in 2025. All the cities covered by the index in the UK (London, Manchester and Edinburgh) also dropped down the ranks, 'following widespread riots and rising homelessness,' the EIU noted. The highest US city on the list was Honolulu, Hawaii at number 23. Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia climbed the most places up the ranking this year from 148th to 135th. War torn Damascus in Syria is again the worst city to live in. Originally published as World's most liveable cities 2025 revealed, Australia ranks three times in top 10
Time Out
4 days ago
- Time Out
Only one Asian city cracked the global top ten for liveability – can you guess which?
Move aside, Tokyo. Osaka is the hottest Japanese city for 2025. The port city – always ever-so-slightly overshadowed by Tokyo – has cracked the top ten of the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2025. Released today, the Global Liveability Index 2025 ranked 173 cities worldwide based on over 30 factors over five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Remarkably, Osaka is the only Asian city to make it to the top ten. It ranked seventh worldwide with an overall score of 96, with full marks in the stability, healthcare, and education categories. It scored 96.4 in infrastructure and 86.8 in culture and environment. The rest of the top ten is dominated by cities from western Europe and Australia, with Copenhagen unseating Vienna as the most liveable city in the world. Overall, the EIU notes a decline in stability scores in Asia due to intensified military threats in countries like India and Taiwan. But there are beacons of hope, cities that have shown marked improvement in this year's index. Jakarta, Indonesia, moved up ten positions to rank 132 thanks to improved stability scores. Its security forces have been working hard to build resilience against terrorism and to quell domestic protests. A long-term challenge? Floods and other climate-related risks. In Thailand, Bangkok and Chiang Mai jumped six spots to rank 116 and 130, respectively. Hong Kong also moved six spots to rank 44, and Surabaya moved three spots to rank 150. Check out the full Global Liveability Index 2025 report here and see why we think Osaka is the hottest Japanese city in 2025. Top 10 most liveable cities in 2025: Copenhagen, Denmark Vienna, Austria Zurich, Switzerland Melbourne, Australia Geneva, Switzerland Sydney, Australia Osaka, Japan Auckland, New Zealand Adelaide, Australia Vancouver, Canada Did you hear? These are the safest airlines in Asia for 2025
