Vienna tops rankings of world’s most livable cities for 3rd consecutive

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the rankings of the top 10 most livable cities in the world for 2024. 

Vienna was once again ranked the world’s most livable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), while Bangkok and Chiang Mai were considered mid-range for livability among 173 cities.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai had scores ranging between 60-80 out of a total of 100 points. Last year, Bangkok was ranked 98th.

Vienna is followed by Copenhagen in second place, and Zurich, Switzerland, in third place, giving Europe the top three positions.

The EIU Global Liveability Index for 2024 ranks 173 cities worldwide using 30 indicators across five categories: stability and safety, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. 

Vienna scored excellently in almost every category, except for culture and environment, due to a lack of large-scale sporting events.

An interesting point about the 2024 rankings was the "divergent trends" between the improving conditions of many cities in developing countries, particularly in healthcare and education, and the worsening conditions in many cities in developed countries, especially in stability and infrastructure, the EIU said.

A clear example is that among the top 10 cities with the most negative development, or the most significant score declines over the past 12 months, all are in developed countries. Leading the list are Jerusalem, Israel; Miami, USA; and Dublin, Ireland. 

Notably, five German cities are also in this group: Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Berlin, and Düsseldorf.

The top 10 most livable cities in the world for 2024 are:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada
5. Geneva, Switzerland
7. Sydney, Australia
7. Vancouver, Canada
9. Osaka, Japan
9. Auckland, New Zealand

In the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore is the only city from ASEAN to make it into the top 10 most livable cities in Asia, which includes cities from only four countries: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore. Singapore ranks 10th in Asia and 26th globally.

Among major world cities, Tokyo was ranked 14, London was 45, Hong Kong moved up from 61 to 50, Los Angeles was 58, New York 70 and Beijing 81.