GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2025
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The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has published the Global Liveability Index 2025, which evaluates cities worldwide based on how suitable and livable they are for residents.
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The assessment spans 173 cities and uses 30 different indicators grouped under five key categories:
- Political and social stability
- Quality of healthcare
- Cultural environment and ecological conditions
- Access to education
- Infrastructure and public services
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Each of these indicators is graded on a scale ranging from acceptable to intolerable. These individual scores are then weighted to produce a final rating on a scale of 1 to 100. Cities receive both an overall liveability score and category-specific scores, along with a rank among all 173 evaluated locations
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The average global liveability score in the 2025 index remained unchanged from the previous year, holding steady at 76.1 out of 100.
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While cities showed progress in areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, the average global stability score dropped slightly by 0.2 points, largely due to escalating geopolitical tensions, civil disturbances, and a deepening global housing crisis.
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Copenhagen emerged as the world’s most liveable city in 2025, ending Vienna’s three-year reign. The Danish capital earned perfect marks in stability, education, and infrastructure. Vienna, although outperforming Copenhagen in healthcare, saw its stability rating fall significantly due to heightened terror threats.
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Western Europe continued to lead the global rankings, followed by strong contenders from the Asia-Pacific region. Vancouver, representing North America, secured a spot in the top ten.
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In contrast, cities in the Middle East and Africa continued to occupy the lower end of the index, though minor gains were observed in their healthcare, education, and infrastructure scores.
Top 10 Most Liveable Cities in 2025
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Copenhagen, Denmark – Overall Score: 98 (Perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure)
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Vienna, Austria – Score: 97.1
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Zurich, Switzerland – Score: 97.1
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Melbourne, Australia – Score: 97
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Geneva, Switzerland – Score: 96.8
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Sydney, Australia – Score: 96.6
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Osaka, Japan – Score: 96
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Auckland, New Zealand – Score: 96
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Adelaide, Australia – Score: 95.9
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Vancouver, Canada – Score: 95.8
- On the opposite end, cities grappling with conflict or inadequate public infrastructure continued to rank among the least liveable.
- Damascus once again ranked last, with a score of just 30.7. Other low-ranking cities included Tripoli, Dhaka, and Karachi.
- Stability ratings also declined in regions such as Tehran, Taiwan, and India, reflecting growing unrest and the possibility of armed conflict
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Urbanisation
Urbanisation refers to the shift in a society from being mainly rural to becoming largely urban. It signifies a rising share of the population living in cities and towns, resulting in their expansion and development. This process goes beyond just the physical growth of urban areas—it also includes changes in the social structure, economic patterns, and cultural dynamics of these regions
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The Smart Cities Mission was initiated on June 25, 2015, with the objective of developing 100 smart cities across India. The selection process for these cities occurred in phases between January 2016 and June 2018. Once selected, each city was given a five-year window—ranging from 2021 to 2023—to complete its proposed projects.
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A core aspect of the mission was the concept of ‘area-based development,’ which focused on three approaches: retrofitting existing areas, redeveloping older parts of the city, and developing entirely new zones (greenfield projects). Additionally, the mission included pan-city initiatives aimed at implementing smart technologies across broader urban areas.
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In 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs extended the completion deadline for all 100 smart cities to June 2023. This was later revised to June 30, 2024, and then further extended to March 31, 2025.
Urban Area Classifications According to the Indian Census
The Census of India classifies urban areas into two main types:
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Statutory towns – These are regions with formal urban local bodies such as municipal corporations, municipalities, or municipal councils.
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Census towns – These are areas that meet all the following conditions:
a) A minimum population of 5,000
b) A population density of at least 400 individuals per square kilometer
c) At least 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural occupations
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For Prelims: Smart Cities Mission, Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), Greenfield development, Ease of Living Index, Municipal Performance Index, City GDP framework, Climate-smart Cities assessment framework, CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems), and NITI Aayog.
For Mains: 1. What are Smart Cities? Examine their relevance in the urban development of India.(250 Words)
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Previous year Question1. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Smart India Hackathon 2017? (UPSC 2017)
1. It is a centrally sponsored scheme for developing every city of our country into Smart Cities in a decade.
2. It is an initiative to identify new digital technology innovations for solving the many problems faced by our country.
3. It is a programme aimed at making all the financial transactions in our country completely digital in a decade.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 2 only
C. 3 only
D. 2 and 3 only
Answer: B
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