Canada may be a popular destination for visitors from around the globe, but when it comes to putting down roots, one city in the country stands above the rest.
The distinction is based on the latest Global Livability Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which named Vancouver as one of the most livable cities in the world.
Vancouver was the only Canadian and North American destination named in the top 10, landing in ninth spot. The livable city moved up one spot from the 2025 list.
“Vancouver (Canada), which had led the index for many years, is the only North American city represented,” highlighted EIU in the summary report.
“All of the top 10 have perfect scores for education, with most also scoring 100 for health care provision.”
EIU ranks each livable city based on a variety of factors, including stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Out of 100, Vancouver scored 95, 96, 97, 100, and 93 in each category, respectively. Vancouver’s overall index score was 96, placing it just behind Adelaide, Australia, and just ahead of Tokyo, Japan.
Looking at infrastructure specifically, the report states that the category relates to the availability of good housing. Since last year’s report, supply has improved in Vancouver. Vancouver scored a 93 for infrastructure, but this is the category in which Vancouver fared the worst.
When comparing all 173 cities on the list, the average livability score was 76.1, unchanged from last year. However, there were some notable changes highlighted by the EIU.
“Scores in the stability category fell by an average of 0.5 points across the 173 cities, continuing a recent trend,” said the report. “The average score for the culture and environment category has also declined marginally, particularly in Europe.
“This has been offset by an average increase of 0.7 points for the health care category, along with marginal increases for education and infrastructure.”
The full Global Liveability Index summary report can be found online.
The busy summer travel season is heating up, and travellers hoping to bring the whole family on vacation are looking to a popular Canadian destination.
Conde Nast Traveller recently unveiled its picks for the best family vacation spots in the world, and at the top of the list is British Columbia.
The travel media outlet also released its roundup of the 2026 locations to be enchanted by earlier this year, and only one spot in Canada nabbed a mention.
If you live in or have travelled to Alberta, you shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that Banff National Park made the cut to be a wonder of the world to visit in 2026.
However, we are sorry to inform you that another country has beaten Canada for the top spot as home to the most polite people in the world.
Remitly, an online remittance service, recently released the findings of a global survey about the world’s most polite countries.
When it comes to the 25 politest countries in the world, Canada ranked high, but did not get first place.
With files from Daily Hive staff.
Originally published on Daily Hive.
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