What are the best and worst cities in the world to live in?

Cities are not measured by the size of their economies alone; there are criteria that directly affect people's lives: Can residents live safely? Do they have access to good healthcare? Does the city provide an environment that makes daily life easier and more stable?

This is what the Global Liveability Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, attempts to answer each year, as it evaluates 173 cities according to five main criteria: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

The index is not only used for international comparisons, but also by multinational companies and human resources departments to calculate hardship allowances for employees working abroad.

Although the average quality of life globally has not changed significantly compared to last year, the map of winning and losing cities has changed markedly, with declines in regions experiencing rising geopolitical tensions, against a rise in cities that have benefited from long-term investment in public services.

Top spot

For the second consecutive year, the Danish capital Copenhagen retained the top spot globally, supported by a lifestyle that integrates simple life pleasures with city movement, outperforming Vienna and Melbourne, which rank second and third respectively, according to the latest version of the survey conducted in May.

Best cities to live in 2026

Rank

City

Country

Copenhagen

Denmark

Vienna

Austria

Melbourne

Australia

Sydney

Australia

Zurich

Switzerland

Geneva

Switzerland

Osaka

Japan

Adelaide

Australia

Vancouver

Canada

Tokyo

Japan

Impact of conflict

Although previous declines in stability indicators were concentrated in Europe, partly due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Middle East has borne the brunt this year, mainly due to the US-Israeli war against Iran and the unrest in the Strait of Hormuz.

Muscat dropped 14 places to 123rd, Doha fell seven places, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi each fell four places to 79th and 76th respectively.

Ranking of some Arab cities

Global rank

City

Country

Abu Dhabi

UAE

Dubai

UAE

105

Kuwait City

Kuwait

108

Doha

Qatar

116

Manama

Bahrain

123

Muscat

Oman

143

Amman

Jordan

Notable changes

China was this year's biggest beneficiary, as all Chinese cities included in the index saw improvements in their healthcare assessment, due to years of extensive government spending on the health sector, expanding medical coverage, along with progress toward the goal of providing health services accessible within a 15-minute walk from any residential area.

In the United States, Honolulu maintained its position as the best American city despite dropping to 25th globally, while New York rose to 66th, supported by improved stability assessment due to lower crime rates and reduced expected risk of terrorist attacks.

The United Kingdom also recovered after last year's decline following a wave of unrest and riots, with Manchester topping British cities for the second time, ranking 52nd globally, ahead of London at 54th and Edinburgh at 64th.

Worst cities

At the other end of the ranking, Damascus, the capital of war-torn Syria, remains at the bottom of the list, stable in this classification since 2013. Tehran was not immune to the repercussions of the war that affected it, dropping two places to enter the bottom ten globally.

In contrast to this bleak picture, Venezuela's Caracas provided a notable exception, barely escaping the bottom ten this year, following US intervention and the ousting of former President Nicolás Maduro.

Worst cities to live in 2026

Rank

City

Country

164

Tehran

Iran

165

Harare

Zimbabwe

166

Kyiv

Ukraine

167

Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea

168

Lagos

Nigeria

169

Algiers

Algeria

170

Karachi

Pakistan

171

Dhaka

Bangladesh

172

Tripoli

Libya

173

Damascus

Syria

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit

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