World’s Most Liveable Cities Ranked—How Did Karachi Fare?
News Desk
Islamabad: Karachi has once again been ranked among the world’s least liveable cities, placing 170th out of 173 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026.
The annual report, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, assessed 173 cities worldwide on five key indicators: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Only three cities ranked below Karachi, Tehran (164th), Kyiv (166th), and Damascus, which remained the least liveable city in the world.
At the other end of the rankings, Copenhagen retained its position as the world’s most liveable city for the second consecutive year.
The Danish capital earned perfect scores for stability, infrastructure and education, with the report citing its high-quality public services, efficient transport network and overall quality of life.
Vienna, which topped the rankings from 2022 to 2024, remained in second place, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver and Tokyo.
Top 10 Most Liveable Cities in 2026
Copenhagen, Denmark
Vienna, Austria
Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Zurich, Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland
Osaka, Japan
Adelaide, Australia
Vancouver, Canada
Tokyo, Japan
The report noted that Western Europe remained the world’s highest-performing region despite a slight decline in its average score, while Asia recorded modest improvements driven by better healthcare systems, particularly in Chinese cities.
Fuzhou in China climbed seven places to 93rd after improvements in healthcare infrastructure, increased government investment and expanded long-term care services.
In the United States, New York rose three places to 66th following improvements in public safety and stability, while Honolulu remained the country’s highest-ranked city at 25th. Vancouver was the only North American city to feature in the global top 10.
Among Middle Eastern cities, rankings declined as regional instability affected liveability scores. Abu Dhabi ranked 76th, Dubai 79th, Kuwait City 105th, Doha 108th, Manama 116th and Muscat 123rd after recording declines in the stability category.
The report also highlighted improvements in the United Kingdom, where Manchester emerged as the country’s most liveable city at 52nd, ahead of London (54th) and Edinburgh (64th).
According to Anna Nichols, Industry Director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, global liveability remained largely unchanged compared with last year, as declining stability in the Middle East offset gains in healthcare across Asia.
She said Asia’s continued progress means that nine Asian cities and seven European cities now feature among the world’s 20 most liveable cities.
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