Vienna has once again been recognized as the world’s most liveable city for the third consecutive year in 2024, according to The Economist’s Global Liveability Index. This prestigious title underscores Vienna’s exceptional quality of life, a status it has maintained for nine of the past eleven years.
Vienna’s dominance in the rankings is attributed to its near-perfect scores in four of the five key categories: stability, healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Although it didn’t achieve a perfect score in the culture and environment category this year, Vienna’s overall excellence in other areas has solidified its position at the top.
Why Vienna continues to excel
The Economist’s ranking system evaluates cities based on stability, culture and environment, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Vienna’s robust performance in these categories is a testament to its effective management of public services and quality living standards. Despite challenges such as global instability and rising costs of living impacting other cities, Vienna’s comprehensive approach to urban management has kept it at the forefront.
Top European cities in the index
Vienna’s impressive run is mirrored by strong performances from other European cities. Copenhagen, Denmark, maintains its second-place position for the third year running, recognized for its stability, education, and infrastructure. Zurich, Switzerland, has climbed to third place, with perfect scores in healthcare and education reinforcing its reputation as a leading global city.
The presence of multiple European cities in the top ranks highlights the region’s overall high quality of life, despite recent shifts in stability and living costs affecting other areas.
Challenges and future outlook
While Vienna and its European counterparts continue to excel, the report notes that stability scores have generally declined globally, influenced by rising inflation and political unrest. These factors have affected the rankings of several cities, including some notable declines in Western Europe.
As Vienna leads the way in global liveability, its ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving urban life standards serves as a model for other cities striving for excellence.
