Monday, July 7, 2025

June 19, 2025

So, Vienna Has Been Dethroned As The World’s Most Liveable City

This city may have topped the global liveability charts, but if you’re living in Cape Town, you already know you’re cooler than any list.

[Image: Freerange Stock]

Move over, Vienna – Copenhagen’s No. 1 now (although, if you’re in Cape Town, you know you’re already winning).

Copenhagen has officially booted Vienna off the throne, claiming the top spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index. After three years of playing second fiddle, the Danish capital finally clinched the crown with perfect scores in stability, education, and infrastructure.

So yes, they’re celebrating with minimalist furniture and organic rye bread.

Vienna, dethroned but not disgraced, now shares second place with Zurich — still fancy, just slightly less stable this year thanks to some unfortunate events, including a bomb threat that cut short a Taylor Swift concert. Bad blood indeed.

The rest of the top 10 is a swirl of scenic, well-behaved cities:
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Geneva, Switzerland
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Osaka, Japan and Auckland, New Zealand (tied)
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Vancouver, Canada

Meanwhile, Honolulu was the highest-ranked US city at No. 23 — not too shabby for a place that doubles as a holiday destination.

But let’s pause here and raise a glass to Cape Town, the unofficial capital of good taste and even better views. It didn’t make the EIU’s list this time, probably because they haven’t figured out how to measure vibe. But if you live here, you know.

You’ve got Table Mountain in your backyard, wine routes on your doorstep, and a coastline that turns even the most jaded locals into part-time sunset photographers. You walk past art, history, and a café that roasts its own beans before breakfast. Sure, there’s always room for improvement (rampant crime, unemployment, government mis-spending, and loadshedding, anyone?), but Cape Town’s not just liveable — it’s effortlessly cool.

Meanwhile, other cities saw a bit of slippage. Calgary fell from 5th to 18th. Toronto slipped to 16th. And a handful of UK cities took a knock after political unrest and misinformation stirred up chaos.

“Global liveability has remained flat over the past year, and as in 2024, scores for stability have declined at a global level,” said Barsali Bhattacharyya, the EIU’s deputy industry director.

Some cities, though, climbed the ranks. Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia jumped up 13 spots to 135, and Jakarta inched forward to 132, thanks to improved stability scores.

But back to the real talk: lists are nice. Rankings are great. But when you can take a Friday dip in the Atlantic, pick up artisan bread from a weekend market, and still be home in time for a mountain-top golden hour? You don’t need a number to know you’re living lekker.

[Source: RobbReport]