After three years on top, Vienna has been nudged into second place in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2025 Global Liveability Index, overtaken by Copenhagen. Rising geopolitical tensions threaten stability worldwide.
After three consecutive years at the top (2022, 2023 and 2024), Vienna has conceded first place to Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen – and now shares second place with Zurich.
Although both Copenhagen and Zurich maintained the same scores as in 2024, it was Vienna’s drop in its Stability score (from 100 to 95) that demoted it to second place. The decline followed two notable incidents: a bomb threat in the summer of 2024 ahead of a Taylor Swift concert – which was ultimately cancelled – and a foiled planned attack at Vienna’s main train station (Hauptbahnhof) in early 2025.
Vienna’s scores for Culture and Environment, Healthcare, Education, and Infrastructure remained unchanged year-on-year, with perfect 100s in the last three categories.
While Vienna placed second, the city’s leadership views this result as a continued affirmation of its strengths – while openly acknowledging the need to further improve in areas of security. Mayor Michael Ludwig wrote on Instagram (see original post):
|
Melbourne and Geneva hold firm in fourth and 5th place, as per 2024, while Sydney climbs one position from seventh to 6th. Both Osaka and Auckland rise two spots from joint ninth to joint 7th. Adelaide places 9th, re-entering the top 10 for the first time since 2021, and Vancouver drops three places, rounding out the list at tenth.
| City | Location | Rank | Index | Stability | Healthcare | Culture and environment |
Education | Infrastructure |
| Copenhagen | Denmark | 1 | 98.0 | 100.0 | 95.8 | 95.4 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Vienna | Austria | 2 | 97.1 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 93.5 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Zurich | Switzerland | 2 | 97.1 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 96.3 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Melbourne | Australia | 4 | 97.0 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 95.8 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Geneva | Switzerland | 5 | 96.8 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 94.9 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Sydney | Australia | 6 | 96.6 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 94.4 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Osaka | Japan | 7 | 96.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 86.8 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Auckland | New Zealand | 7 | 96.0 | 95.0 | 95.8 | 97.9 | 100.0 | 92.9 |
| Adelaide | Australia | 9 | 95.9 | 95.0 | 100.0 | 91.4 | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Vancouver | Canada | 10 | 95.8 | 95.0 | 95.8 | 97.2 | 100.0 | 92.9 |
Vienna is far from the only city affected by shifting Stability scores. While the average overall liveability score remains unchanged at 76.1 out of 100, this consistency is due to maintained or improved ratings in the other four categories: Healthcare, Culture and Environment, Education and Infrastructure.
However, the Stability category — which measures the threat of military conflict, civil unrest and terrorism — has declined overall, offsetting the gains made in the other categories. As geopolitical tensions rise, this trend is expected to continue, putting pressure on quality of life globally.
Of the 30 Western European cities assessed, only one — Athens — falls short of the highest tier of liveability, defined by a score of 80 or more.
Western Europe remains the most liveable region globally, with an average score of 91.8 (down slightly by 0.2 points from 2024). It’s followed by North America, averaging 90.4 (a drop of 0.1), and Asia-Pacific, which ranks third but shows the greatest spread between high and low scoring cities.
While the top three regions saw marginal declines in average scores, all other regions experienced year-on-year improvements.
Vienna may have slipped from the top spot in this year’s Global Liveability Index, but its overall performance shows it remains one of the most consistently high-performing cities in the world.
Stability, however, is where the biggest shifts have occurred — not just in Vienna but across many global cities. Geopolitical tensions, civil unrest and isolated threats have disrupted what were once steady scores in this category, and that volatility may persist in the years to come.