Top 10 world’s most liveable cities in 2024

As per the Global Liveability Index, Western Europe continues to be the world’s most liveable region, excelling in four key categories, with North America following closely behind, ranking second overall, and leading in the education category.

Asia-Pacific, the third-placed region, has seen only a slight improvement in its liveability scores. At the same time, Eastern Europe, on the other hand, has experienced the biggest jump, largely due to advancements in healthcare and education.

Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Sub-Saharan Africa also recorded higher scores in healthcare and education; however, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least liveable region globally.

Notably, five Indian cities were featured in the report, with Delhi and Mumbai tied at 141st rank with a score of 60.2 out of 100, followed by Chennai (59.9), Ahmedabad (58.9), and Bengaluru (58.7), in the 2023 index.

Global Liveability Index 2024: Top 10 most liveable cities in the world

For the third year in a row, Vienna (Austria) was again named the world’s most liveable city in 2024. (Source: vienna.info)

The report reveals a slight improvement in the overall liveability scores across the 173 cities surveyed, with the average score increasing to 76.1 out of 100, indicating a marginal enhancement in the quality of life for urban residents worldwide.

Rank	City & Country	Index	Stability	Healthcare	Culture	Education	Infrastructure
1	Vienna, Austria	98.4	100	100	93.5	100	100
2	Copenhagen, Denmark	98.0	100	95.8	95.4	100	100
3	Zurich, Switzerland	97.1	95	100	96.3	100	96.4
4	Melbourne, Australia	97	95	100	95.8	100	96.4
5	Calgary, Canada	96.8	100	100	90	100	96.4
6	Geneva, Switzerland	96.8	95	100	94.9	100	96.4
7	Sydney, Australia	96.6	95	100	94.4	100	96.4
8	Vancouver, Canada	96.6	95	100	97.2	100	92.9
9	Osaka, Japan	96	100	100	86.8	100	96.4
10	Auckland, New Zealand	96	95	95.8	97.9	100	92.9

Source: EIU

Global Liveability Index 2024: Top 10 least liveable cities in the world

Damascus (Syria) is still the least liveable of the 173 cities in the survey, following the years of civil war. (Source: Human Rights Watch)

Despite modest improvements, some cities around the globe are constrained by various challenges like geopolitical conflicts, civil unrest, housing crisis and more, leading to significant barriers in achieving higher liveability standards.

Rank	City and Country	Overall Index	Stability	Healthcare	Culture	Education	Infrastructure
164	Caracas, Venezuela	44.9	35.2	37.5	45.1	66.7	53.6
165	Kyiv, Ukraine	44.5	40	41.7	53.2	75	26.8
166	Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea	44.1	40	41.7	52.5	58.3	46.4
167	Harare, Zimbabwe	43.8	40	29.2	56.7	66.7	35.7
168	Dhaka, Bangladesh	43	50	41.7	40.5	66.7	26.8
169	Karachi, Pakistan	42.7	20	54.2	35.9	75	51.9
170	Lagos, Nigeria	42.2	25	37.5	54.4	41.7	53.6
171	Algiers, Algeria	42	35	50	45.4	58.3	30.4
172	Tripoli, Libya	40.1	30	45.8	37.5	58.3	41.1
173	Damascus, Syria	30.7	20	29.2	40.5	33.3	32.1

Source: EIU