The world's 10 best cities to live in Europe revealed - UK fails to make list

Four European countries feature in a new ranking of the most liveable cities in the world - but the UK didn't make the cut. The Global Liveability Index, put together by the The Economist Intelligence Unit (IEU), puts together an annual ranking based on various factors including infrastructure and environment, stability, healthcare and education.

The sister organisation of The Economist analysed 173 cities around the world to assess how they compare, producing a top 10 list of the most liveable globally. The list, published on Tuesday, named the Danish capital Copenhagen as the top-rated city, with an overall score of 98. That was thanks to a strong performance across various categories, including a 100 score for stability, infrastructure and education, as reported by MailOnline.

It saw the Nordic city improve upon its strong second-place finish in last year's analysis.

The Austrian capital Vienna and Swiss city Zurich claimed equal second place with a 97.1 score.

Melbourne in Australia and another Swiss city, Geneva, clinched fourth and fifth spot.

Two other Australian cities made the IEU's list, including Sydney and Adelaide in sixth and ninth place, respectively.

Only one Asian metropolis broke into the top 10, the Japanese port city of Osaka, which tied with Auckland in New Zealand in seventh place.

Rounding off the list was Toronto, Canada, in tenth.

According to a press release publicising the research, the average score for 2025 hasn't changed since last year, remaining at 76.1 out of 100. Though the EIU noted that the results "reflect a continued decline in global stability, driven by intensifying geopolitical conflict and civil unrest".

Barsali Bhattacharyya, the organisation's deputy industry director said: "Global liveability has remained flat over the past year, and as in 2024, scores for stability have declined at a global level.

"As in 2024, stability scores have declined for western Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. In this edition, they have also declined for Asia, amid intensified threats of military conflict for cities in India and Taiwan."

All the cities covered in the UK (London, Manchester and Edinburgh) have dropped down the ranks, following widespread riots and rising homelessness.

The UK failed to rank in the top 10, London, Manchester and Edinburgh falling down the rankings since last year.

London and Manchester both dropped nine places to 54th and 52nd place, respectively, while Edinburgh moved down five places to rank 64th.

According to the EIU, this decline followed "widespread riots and rising homelessness".

The top 10 most liveable cities according to the new research

1. Copenhagen, Denmark

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Zurich, Switzerland

4. Melbourne, Australia

5. Geneva, Switzerland

6. Sydney, Australia

7. Osaka, Japan

8. Auckland, New Zealand

9. Adelaide, Australia

10. Vancouver, Canada