Here at , ranking cities is basically our love language. Every year, we round up the best cities in the world according to thousands of locals, so we know a thing or two about what makes somewhere great to live – not just nice to visit.
Our annual rankings rely on thousands of responses from locals around the world, but if you’re after the hard-data-driven version, the Global Liveability Index is the one to bookmark. Published annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it scores 173 cities across five categories including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. In total, it covers 30 factors, from the threat of conflict to the quality of public transport and housing.
So, which city has been named the most liveable on the planet in 2026? Drum roll, please… it’s Copenhagen, holding onto the top spot for the second year running after knocking Vienna off its perch in 2025.
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So what’s the Danish capital’s secret? Copenhagen scored an overall 98 out of 100, notching up a perfect score in three of the index’s five categories: stability, education and infrastructure. Plus, it received a very respectable 96 for healthcare and 95 for culture and environment. And honestly? Between the harbour swims (soon to be upgraded by a huge new waterfront bathhouse), all those cycling-friendly streets and a city so confident in its quality of life it’s actively recruiting burnt-out workers to move there, we’re not exactly shocked.
Vienna had to settle for second place once again, while Melbourne climbed to third, and we can confirm the data checks out on that one, given the Victorian capital was crowned number one in our very own best cities ranking for 2026. It was a strong year for Australia all round, actually, as Sydney leapt from sixth to fourth, and Adelaide came in eighth.
Switzerland’s Zurich and Geneva took fifth and sixth, while Japan claimed two spots in the top 10 with Osaka holding steady in seventh, and Tokyo rising three places to sneak into tenth, thanks to improved culture and environment scores. Vancouver, which led the index for years, nudged up to ninth as the only North American city in the top 10.
Oh, and one thing every single city in the top 10 has in common? A perfect 100 for education.
These are the 10 most liveable cities in the world in 2026
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Vienna, Austria
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sydney, Australia
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Osaka, Japan
- Adelaide, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Tokyo, Japan
Read the full report here, and have a look at the very best cities in the world, according to .
Did you see that a library of banned books has just opened in this European city?
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