Where are the world’s most liveable cities for 2024? Well, according to the Global Liveability Index, Australia’s capitals more than hold their own on the global stage.
Melbourne has once again retained the title as Australia’s most liveable city on the much-anticipated Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index, coming in at number four, narrowly ahead of Sydney (7th), Adelaide (11th), Perth (15th) and Brisbane (16th).
While it might seem like an impressive result for Australia’s capitals, not every city is celebrating. Melburnians, who have long prided themselves on holding top spot on this very list (seven years in a row to be exact) have struggled to reclaim its throne in the post-pandemic era.
Some 173 cities are analysed in the report on categories including stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.
Vienna still number one
For the third consecutive year, Vienna, Austria, has been named the world’s best city to live in.
Trends
What do the results indicate about global liveability? This year’s report shows a positive trend, largely due to improvements in healthcare and education in developing nations. However, these gains are offset by declining scores in several top-tier cities, with geopolitical risks also affecting the overall index.
Notable Changes
Europe, despite having eight cities in the top 20, faced the largest decline due to stability issues. Hong Kong showed significant improvement in stability and healthcare.
World’s 20 best cities to live in 2024
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada (tied with Geneva)
5. Geneva, Switzerland (tie)
7. Sydney, Australia (tied with Vancouver)
7. Vancouver, Canada (tie)
9. Osaka, Japan (tied with Auckland)
9. Auckland, New Zealand (tie)
11. Adelaide, Australia
12. Toronto, Canada
13. Helsinki, Finland
14. Tokyo, Japan
15. Perth, Australia
16. Brisbane, Australia
17. Frankfurt, Germany (tied with Luxembourg)
17. Luxembourg, Luxembourg (tie)
19. Amsterdam, Netherlands
20. Wellington, New Zealand
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