1. What Is the Global Liveability Index? The Global Liveability Index is an annual assessment published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that ranks cities worldwide based on their quality of life across five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education, and infrastructure.

2. How Many Cities Are Ranked in 2025? The 2025 index ranks 173 cities globally, covering major urban centers across all continents and representing diverse economic and social conditions.

3. What Are the 5 Categories and Their Weights?

• Stability (25%) - Crime, terrorism, conflict, civil unrest
• Healthcare (20%) - Quality and accessibility of medical services
• Culture & Environment (25%) - Climate, cultural activities, environmental quality
• Education (10%) - Access and quality of education
• Infrastructure (20%) - Transport, housing, utilities, telecommunications

4. How Are Cities Scored? Each city receives a score from 1-100 based on 30+ quantitative and qualitative indicators. Each indicator is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable, or intolerable, then weighted according to the category percentages to produce an overall score.

5. Which City Ranked #1 in 2025? Copenhagen, Denmark topped the 2025 rankings with a score of 98.0, achieving perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure. This ended Vienna's three-year reign as the world's most liveable city.

6. Why Did Vienna Drop from #1? Vienna dropped to joint 2nd place due to a decline in its stability score following security incidents, including a terror threat at a Taylor Swift concert in 2024. Despite this, Vienna still scored perfectly in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

7. What Is the Global Average Liveability Score? The global average liveability score in 2025 is 76.1 out of 100, unchanged from 2024. This reflects improvements in healthcare, education, and infrastructure offset by declining stability scores worldwide.

8. Which Regions Have the Most Liveable Cities? Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region dominate the top rankings. Of the top 10 cities, 6 are in Europe (including 4 Nordic cities), 3 are in Oceania (Australia/New Zealand), and 1 is in North America (Canada).

9. What Are the Least Liveable Cities? Damascus, Syria ranks as the least liveable city (score: 30.7), followed by Tripoli, Libya and Dhaka, Bangladesh. These cities face severe challenges including conflict, weak infrastructure, and poor public services.

10. How Can I Use This Index for Relocation Decisions? The index helps evaluate overall quality of life, but you should also consider: personal priorities (career, family, lifestyle), specific neighborhood conditions (cities have regional variations), visa/immigration requirements, cost of living, language barriers, and personal circumstances.

11. Why Do Some Cities Score High Overall but Low in Certain Categories? Cities can excel in some areas while facing challenges in others. For example, Singapore scores perfectly in stability and healthcare but lower in culture & environment due to limited cultural variety and climate factors.

12. How Often Is the Index Updated? The Global Liveability Index is published annually, typically in June. The 2025 edition reflects data from 2024-2025, ensuring rankings capture recent changes in global conditions.

13. What's the Difference Between This and Quality of Life Rankings? While similar, liveability focuses specifically on urban living conditions and challenges faced by residents and expatriates. It emphasizes practical daily factors like safety, healthcare access, and infrastructure rather than broader economic or happiness metrics.

14. Can Individual Travelers Use This for Safety Assessment? Yes, but with caveats. The index provides city-level data, but safety can vary significantly within cities by neighborhood. Travelers should also check current travel advisories and recent events, as the index reflects annual averages.

15. Why Are There No US Cities in the Top 10? US cities face lower scores in the stability category due to higher crime rates, gun violence, and civil unrest compared to top-ranking European and Asia-Pacific cities. However, several US cities (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco) rank in the top 50 due to strong scores in healthcare, education, culture, and infrastructure.