The Global Liveability rank Ranking is a yearly assessment published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranking 172 global cities (previously 140) for their urban quality of life based on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Austria's capital, Vienna, was ranked the most liveable city in 2024, 2023, and 2022 among the 172 cities surveyed by The Economist Intelligence Unit, having previously won in 2019 and 2018, and came second in 2017 and 2016.[1] [2] Auckland was ranked the most liveable city in 2021. Melbourne, Australia, was ranked by the EIU as the world's most liveable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.[3]
The Syrian capital Damascus was ranked the least liveable city of the 140 assessed in 2018 and 2019, reflecting the ongoing conflict in the country.
Before 2011, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most liveable city from 2002 to 2010. In 2011 the EIU stated that a highway closure on Vancouver Island (separated from Vancouver by the Strait of Georgia and not connected by a bridge) resulted in the "small adjustment" to Vancouver's rating, suggesting a possible error in the 2011 rankings.[4] Beside Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver, other most often recurring cities among the top 10 since 2015 are Calgary and Toronto.
Cities from the Western world typically dominate the top 10, reflecting their widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, and an effective infrastructure. A 2010 opinion piece in The New York Times criticized the Economist Intelligence Unit for being overly Anglocentric, stating that: "The Economist equates liveability with speaking English."[5]
The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities.[6]