World's top 10 most and least liveable cities in 2025: Only one Asian city ranks high; Bangladesh and Pakistan among the lowest
Global Liveability Index 2025: In recent years, urban migration has risen as people seek better economic prospects and living standards, giving rise to the concept of liveable cities—sustainable, inclusive, and equipped with essential services, amenities, and opportunities that foster personal and professional growth.
According to the recently released Global Liveability Index 2025 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the global average livability score across the 173 cities in the index was the same as last year, at 76.1 out of 100.
The index saw overall gains in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in 2025; however, the global average stability scores declined by 0.2 points amid rising geopolitical instability, civil unrest, and the global housing crisis.
Western European cities once again dominated the global liveability rankings in 2025, followed closely by the Asia Pacific region, and the Canadian city, Vancouver represented North America in the top ten.
In contrast, cities in the Middle East and Africa ranked among the least liveable; however, on a more positive note, with marginal improvements in healthcare, education and infrastructure on average.
There were advancements within cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Al Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notably moving up the ranks. The Kingdom is spending extensively on healthcare and education as part of Vision 2030, a comprehensive economic diversification initiative aimed at reducing the country's dependency on oil.
Copenhagen has claimed the top spot to become the world's most liveable city in 2025, ending Vienna's three-year dominance by achieving perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure.
The Austrian city saw a massive decline in its stability score due to terror threats, yet it outpaced the Danish capital in healthcare.
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025
Note: To view the complete scores across all indices, please scroll or swipe to the right
At the other end of the spectrum, cities in conflict zones or those battling weak infrastructure and public services continued to rank poorly.
Damascus retained its position as the least liveable city in the world, scoring just 30.7. Tripoli, Dhaka, and Karachi also remained near the bottom.
While some cities in the Middle East and Africa showed marginal improvements in infrastructure and healthcare, persistent instability continues to drag overall liveability down.
Stability scores have also declined in places like Tehran, Taiwan, and India due to mounting tensions and the threat of armed conflict; listed below are the bottom 10 countries in the Global Liveability Index 2025:
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit- Global Liveability Index 2025
Note: To view the complete scores across all indices, please scroll or swipe to the right
Methodology: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s Global Liveability Index 2025 assessed 173 cities globally based on 30 indicators divided into several factors like stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education, and infrastructure, to disclose how comfortable these cities are to live in.
Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager - Content at The Indian Express. She is responsible for crafting compelling narratives, uncovering the latest news and developments, and driving engaging content based on data and trends to boost website traffic and audience engagement. One can connect with her on LinkedIn or by mail at cherry.gupta@indianexpress.com. ... Read More
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