Day 6 : The World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2025: Why These Countries Lead the Way

Author: Abitha M.G

Company: Skillwise Consulting –Corporate Training Services (Learning & Development)

College: SRM Arts and Science College Kattankulathur

Department: B.A. English 

Internship Duration: 15 Days

Day: 06

Date: 21/07/2025

The World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2025: Why These Countries Lead the Way

Introduction

Ever paused to think what lifts a city to the title of “most liveable on the planet”? Is it only pure air and instagrammable cafés, or does it run deeper the quiet reassurance of safety, the reaching hand of a good healthcare system, the seamless glide of public transport?  

Every year, the Economist Intelligence Unit, a research unit of The Economist Group, revisits that question with the Global Liveability Index. In 2025, the Unit sifted through 173 cities, weighing stability, health, culture, environment, education, and infrastructure on the same scale.  

Vienna and Copenhagen remain the gold-medal cities, their hallmarks now the blueprint many others chase. Yet the narrative is wider. Rapidly evolving megacities like Delhi and Mumbai now score points for upgraded infrastructure and sharper governance, and their upward curve is catching notice.  

This blog pauses at the key ingredients that make a city thrive, maps the evolving paths of both older and younger cities, and nudges the lens toward emerging patterns that might rewire the way we live, work, and flourish in the urban futures that lie ahead.

What Is the Global Liveability Index?

The EIU Global Liveability Index ranks 173 cities annually based on how liveable they are — that is, how comfortable and quality-filled daily life is in that place.

Each city is scored out of 100 across five key categories:

Category	Weight	What It Measures
Stability	25%	Crime rates, political stability, civil unrest, and conflict risk
Healthcare	20%	Quality and accessibility of healthcare systems
Culture &     Environment	25%	Climate, freedom of expression, cultural activities, and corruption levels
Education	10%	Quality and availability of schools and universities
Infrastructure	20%	Transport, energy, housing, roads, and internet connectivity

Each city gets a score between 1 (intolerable) to 100 (ideal) per category. These are weighted and combined into the final Liveability Index.            

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Top 10 Most Liveable Cities in 2025

Here’s the list of the world’s top-ranking cities for 2025, according to the EIU:

Rank	City	Country	Liveability Index
1	Copenhagen	Denmark	98.0
2	Vienna	Austria	97.1
2	Zurich	Switzerland	97.1
4	Melbourne	Australia	97.0
5	Geneva	Switzerland	96.8
6	Sydney	Australia	96.6
7	Osaka	Japan	96.0
7	Auckland	New Zealand	96.0
9	Adelaide	Australia	95.9
10	Vancouver	Canada	95.8

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Case Study: Copenhagen vs Mumbai or Delhi

Let’s compare Copenhagen (Rank 1) to a major Indian city like Delhi or Mumbai:

Category	Copenhagen (DK)	Delhi/Mumbai (IN)
Stability	100	~60 (due to crime, unrest)
Healthcare	100	~55 (limited access)
Education	100	~65–70
Infrastructure	96	~55–60 (traffic, pollution)
Culture & Env.	96.3	~50–55 (climate, congestion)

This contrast shows how infrastructure, stability, and public services directly influence the quality of daily life.

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Visual Comparison

Here’s a graph that compares Copenhagen’s liveability scores with Delhi’s:

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Final Thoughts: What Can We Learn?

These rankings aren’t only about who's the best today; they're road maps for tomorrow. For fast-growing cities like Delhi, Jakarta, or São Paulo, the journey to better liveability begins by putting people first. Here’s how they can get there:

• Make healthcare available to everyone.

• Strengthen government, law enforcement, and community trust.

• Create infrastructure that can handle tomorrow’s challenges.

• Ensure that everyone has a fair shot at a good education.

• Support and reward green choices that protect the planet.

As climate change, tech change, and worldwide migration reshape our lives, the cities that succeed will be the ones that keep human well-being at the center of every decision. The key question has shifted: it’s not only where people live, but how they can truly thrive.

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Video Source: Top Liveable Cities on YouTube