The Austrian capital has lost its three-year grip on the top spot in the EIU's Global Liveability Index for 2025, outperformed by a newcomer claiming the crown with a clutch of perfect scores. Olivia Palamountain reports

The EIU Global Liveability Index 2025 has revealed new winner for the first time since 2022.

This year, Copenhagen has claimed the top spot, ending Vienna's three-year dominance, while UK cities are in free fall, plummetting down the rankings.

The Danish capital achieved perfect scores of 100 for stability, education and infrastructure, moving up from second place to become the world's most comfortable city to live in.

Vienna, now in joint second place with Zurich, Switzerland, saw a sharp decline in its stability score following terrorism scares in 2024 and earlier in 2025, even as it maintained perfect scores for healthcare, education and infrastructure.

An example of how Copenhagen innovates is its imaginative CopenPay green tourism initiative which rewards visitors for eco-friendly actions.

The green experience economy now features 90 participating attractions across the city (up from 20 in its inaugural 2024 pilot).

This time around, it specifically rewards visitors who arrive by train with perks including free bike rentals, yoga sessions, guided tours and discounted entry to top attractions. Check out Globetrender's full story here.

The EIU's index assesses 173 cities worldwide across 30 indicators, categorised into stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Cities in western Europe and developed Asia continue to dominate the top of the rankings. Melbourne came in fourth, with Sydney and Adelaide also making the top ten.

Other leading cities were spread across Japan, New Zealand and Canada.

The average liveability score across all 173 cities remained at 76.1 out of 100, consistent with 2024. However, stability scores continued to fall, dropping by 0.2 points from last year, amidst geopolitical tensions, civil unrest and widespread housing crises.

Western European cities were affected by terrorism threats and riots, while Tehran, along with cities in Taiwan and India, saw stability scores drop due to intensified risks of military conflict.

However, western European cities also appear on the list of the biggest movers down the ranks in 2025. All the cities covered in the UK (London, Manchester and Edinburgh) have dropped down the ranks, following widespread riots and rising homelessness.

Two Canadian cities (Calgary, Toronto) are also among them, as we have lowered the healthcare scores for all four Canadian cities in our index. However, North American cities remain highly sought-after places to live in, with all 21 reporting the highest tier of liveability (defined as a score of 80 or above).

On a more positive note, scores for healthcare, education and infrastructure all saw marginal improvements on average. The Middle East and North Africa region registered the most significant gains in overall liveability, primarily driven by advancements in healthcare and education within cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

To find out how your city has fared, download the free summary report here.