The two most livable cities in the world are both in the EU

They are recurring trendsetters in high standards of living, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit index

The research and analysis branch of the Economist Group, called Economist Intelligence Unit, has published its annual index of the most livable cites in the world, and once again Europe comes on top. More specifically, Vienna comes out on top, after also leading the index in 2022 (and in 2018 and 2019).

The Austrian capital affirmed its pole position thanks to a refined mix high security, good infrastructure and superb cultural life.

Mayor Michael Ludwig of Vienna offered the following comment: “The repeated top result shows: Vienna is a functioning city that is well prepared for the future with the political decisions that have been made. Everyone benefits from the high quality of life, great security and good infrastructure. This is the merit of everyone who works for this city every day.”

Copenhagen is second-best, again

The second most livable city on the planet, according to the Global Liveability Index is Copenhagen. Interestingly enough, last year the city also ranked second, meaning that both Vienna and Copenhagen have done something right to retain their top positions and have not slacked off based on former glories. The Danish capital was praised for its education and infrastructure – on both factors it got perfect scores.

However, although the European Union can certainly boast about having the two most livable cities in the world on its territory, the rest of the top 10 feature no other cities from the bloc. The only other European cities there are the Swiss Zurich and Geneva.

That itself can also be food for thought on how to boost livability and quality of life standards across the EU in order to erase huge gaps between urban realities.

A total of 173 cities worldwide were compared for the index. 30 criteria were evaluated in the 5 categories of stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure.