This European city is the world's most liveable in 2026. Here's where India stands

Copenhagen retained its position as the world's most liveable city for the second consecutive year in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026 report.

The annual index evaluated 173 cities worldwide across five parameters including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

Copenhagen topped the rankings with an overall score of 98, supported by perfect scores in stability, education and infrastructure. Vienna ranked second, followed by Zurich. Melbourne and Geneva completed the top five, while Sydney, Osaka, Auckland, Adelaide and Tokyo rounded out the top 10.


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Among Indian cities, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru were the country's highest-ranked cities. New Delhi was placed 120th globally, followed by Mumbai at 121st, Chennai at 123rd and Bengaluru at 127th. All four cities remained outside the global top 100.

Top 4 Indian cities in EIU Global Liveability Index 2026

Indian Rank	City	Global Rank
1	New Delhi	120
2	Mumbai	121
3	Chennai	123
4	Bengaluru	127

The EIU's Global Liveability Index 2026 found that the average global liveability score remained unchanged at 76.1 out of 100 from last year. While improvements in healthcare and education were recorded in several cities, these gains were offset by a continued decline in stability due to geopolitical tensions, conflicts and civil unrest in different parts of the world.

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On the other end of the index, cities affected by war and political instability continued to rank at the bottom. Damascus remained the world's least liveable city, while Tripoli and Dhaka were among the other lowest-ranked cities. The report said the biggest declines in this year's rankings were recorded in the Middle East as regional conflicts weighed on stability scores.

World's top 10 most liveable cities (2026)

Global Rank	City	Country
1	Copenhagen	Denmark
2	Vienna	Austria
3	Zurich	Switzerland
4	Melbourne	Australia
5	Geneva	Switzerland
6	Sydney	Australia
7	Osaka	Japan
8	Auckland	New Zealand
9	Adelaide	Australia
10	Tokyo	Japan