Five Australian capital cities have ranked among the world’s 20 most liveable – but it’s not all good news

Securing a spot in the top 20 most liveable cities on Earth is a pretty big deal, especially when five Australian cities make the cut. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for our Lucky Country. Adelaide was the only Aussie capital to improve on its 2023 ranking, while Melbourne and Sydney slid down the list, due to lower infrastructure scores caused by the rising cost of living.

Each year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) releases its Global Liveability Index, ranking 173 cities around the world from the best to worst living conditions. They look at five key metrics, including healthcare, culture, education, infrastructure and the environment. The results are in for 2024, with Vienna, Austria retaining its title as the most livable city for the third year running. Denmark’s Copenhagen secured the second spot, followed by Switzerland’s Zurich in third place. 

Australia maintained its status within the top ten most liveable cities globally, with Melbourne in fourth position and Sydney in seventh. However, both cities were bumped down the list, with the Victorian capital dropping from third place and the NSW capital from fourth place in 2023. 

"We have downgraded overall infrastructure scores for Australia, owing to an ongoing housing crisis that has led to an all-time low availability of rental properties in many of the cities," the Economist Intelligence Unit explained. 

Melbourne and Sydney both scored 96.4 out of a possible 100 for infrastructure and also had matching scores for healthcare (100), education (100) and stability (95). However, Melbourne edged out Sydney in the culture and environment categories. 

Our nationwide housing crisis also dented infrastructure scores for Perth, which fell from 12th in 2023 to 15th place in the 2024 global liveability ranking. Brisbane held its ground at 16th, while Adelaide was the only Australian city to improve its ranking, moving from equal 12th in 2023 to 11th in 2024. Need a reason to visit? Here are 15 of the best reasons to visit the South Australian capital.

Here are the top ten cities on the 2024 EIU Global Liveability Index:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Geneva, Switzerland
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Vancouver, Canada
9. Osaka, Japan
10. Auckland, New Zealand

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