Copenhagen tops 2025 Global Livability Index, Tashkent near bottom

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Copenhagen has been named the most livable city in the world for 2025, followed by Vienna and Zurich. At the bottom of the list is Damascus, the capital of Syria, while Tashkent also ranks among the lower tier of cities.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of the British magazine The Economist, has published its annual Global Livability Index, which evaluates 173 cities worldwide based on five key categories: stability, environment, healthcare, infrastructure, and education. Cities are scored on a scale of 0 to 100.

Copenhagen took the top spot in the 2025 ranking due to its strong performance in stability, excellent infrastructure, quality education and healthcare systems, and a wide range of cultural and entertainment offerings.

Vienna and Zurich placed second, while Melbourne secured the third position. Other cities making the top ten include Geneva, Sydney, Osaka, Auckland, Adelaide, and Vancouver.

At the other end of the spectrum, Damascus was ranked as the least livable city. Other cities in the bottom ten include Tripoli, Dhaka, Karachi, Algiers, Lagos, Harare, Port Moresby, Kyiv, and Caracas.

The Economist noted that, due to ongoing global instability, living conditions in cities have not improved for the second consecutive year. Vienna, which held the top spot from 2022 to 2024, lost its leading position this year following two security incidents: one at a Taylor Swift concert and another at a train station.

The report also highlights that smaller cities tend to perform better in the rankings. Only three of the top 20 cities have populations exceeding six million. For example, London and New York ranked 54th and 69th, respectively, due to high crime rates, terrorism risks, and heavy traffic congestion. One of the world's largest cities, Tokyo, managed to secure 13th place.

Additionally, Calgary, which ranked 5th in 2024, dropped to 18th place this year, and Toronto fell from 12th to 16th. The decline in rankings of Canadian cities is attributed to long wait times in healthcare facilities caused by staff shortages.

Tashkent was placed in the lower tier of the ranking. The Uzbek capital scored between 50 and 60 out of 100 and was grouped among countries shaded in light gray on the map, indicating a likely position between 145th and 160th place.

#infrastructure #Copenhagen #Damascus