Vienna loses the title as the most livable city - what now?
Vienna loses the title as the most livable city - what now?
Wien, Österreich - Vienna in the recent evaluation of the Global LiveAbity Index 2025 of the economist now lost a place in the ranking and is now occupied by Copenhagen. This is the first time in three years that the Austrian capital no longer occupies the top position that it has held for years. Nevertheless, Vienna remains an attractive city in the eyes of many.
The index evaluates a total of 173 cities worldwide and analyzes them using 30 indicators that are divided into categories such as healthcare, culture, environment and education. In this analysis, Copenhagen was able to achieve 100 points in the areas of stability, education and infrastructure and thus secure first place. Vienna and Zurich follow closely behind, while other cities such as Melbourne, Geneva, Sydney and Osaka are also represented in the ranking, as can be seen from the information from
An essential element that influenced Vienna's resignation from the throne was a scored terrorist attack on a concert by Taylor Swift. Such events understandably lead to a different perception of the security situation in the city, which plays a role in the stability assessment of the index. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) took up the news with the attitude that it was "not a shame" to share the front places with other cities, and emphasized that Vienna is despite everything that has a lot to offer. A look at the Ranking of the most livable cities not only shows that Vienna has lost its former top position, but also that the Mercer ranking already showed a similar development at the end of 2024. The main reason for the loss of this top position was the tense rental situation, which severely limits the availability of living space for expats. The overarching goal of Global Liveability Index is not only the determination of the most livable city, but also the comprehensive analysis of the quality of life worldwide. So far, Vienna has been able to position itself as one of the best living environments, but the picture has changed. Copenhagen not only scores with a high quality of life, but also with sustainable urban development and a balanced relationship between leisure and work, which significantly influences the ranking. The question now arises for the Austrian capital: How will Vienna beat in future rankings? In view of the challenges and the competition from other cities, there are exciting times ahead of us. The reason for the descent
The competition in international comparison
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| Ort | Wien, Österreich |
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