After years of pandemic-induced changes, the world's cities have finally settled into a new normal, at least according to the latest liveability data. The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Liveability Index , which evaluates 173 cities across stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, notes the average liveability score has barely increased over the past year (rising just 0.06 points), compared to more significant hops and drops in previous years.
The top cities also look remarkably similar to last year's list as well, with little fluctuation among the top 10. Once again, four European cities made the list, this time with four Asia-Pacific cities and two Canadian cities. All the cities remain the same as 2023 except one: Toronto, which dropped from the top 10 due to falling infrastructure scores associated with a growing housing crisis.
No new city entered the top 10, since Osaka and Auckland maintained their status, having tied last year. But just because the cities have similar rankings doesn't mean they haven't changed in the past year. We spoke to residents of the top ranked places about what they love most about living in their cities and what keeps them most excited for the future.
Claiming the title of world's most liveable city for the third consecutive year, the Austrian capital achieved perfect scores in four out of five categories, with only a slightly lower score in culture and environment due to a lack of major sportin.