Plus, we share our recommendations for off-the-beaten-path places to visit in each of them.

The Economist Intelligence Unit announced the results of its annual Global Liveability Index on July 7. This year’s report considered a total of 173 cities throughout the world. Ratings were based on a combination of factors that each carried a different weight towards the total achievable score of 100: Stability (25 percent), Healthcare (20 percent), Culture and Environment (25 percent), Education (10 percent), and Infrastructure (20 percent). Copenhagen clenched the top spot for the second year in a row with a total of 98 points, scoring perfect marks of 100 in the Stability, Education, and Infrastructure categories. Let’s take a closer look at the top ten below.

2026 Top Ten Most Liveable Cities in the World

10. Tokyo

Placing 10th this year is Japan’s capital and most populated city of Tokyo with a total score of 96 points. Tokyo received perfect subscores for Stability, Healthcare, and Education, but an 89 for Culture and Environment and a 93 for Infrastructure.

As a former resident of Tokyo, I can attest that most things just seem to “make sense” in Tokyo. With more than a lifetime’s array of things to see and do in the city, no shortage of convenient public transportation, easily accessible goods and services, and generally clean streets and buildings, daily life there usually feels like a walk in the park (and there are plenty of those, too).

One of my personal favorite aspects of Tokyo is the duality of old vs. new. As in the case of Fukutoku Shrine, you can be walking in an extremely developed area of the city and suddenly stumble into a traditional oasis of tranquility. That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy exploring slightly retro parts of the city, including Ningyocho and Yanaka Ginza, the latter of which could also informally be dubbed “cat town.”

▼ Two cat figures grace the entrance to the main shopping street of Yanaka Ginza

With hidden cat illustrations to find in the local Nippori Station and a wealth of local shops dedicated to felines, including a cafe/store where you can paint your own manekineko and a rescue cat cafe, it’s relaxed locales like this paired with the convenience of a mega-metropolis that make Tokyo extremely liveable.

▼ Manekineko for sale at Yanakado Cafe Nekoemon

9. Vancouver

8. Adelaide

7. Osaka

Coming in at 7th place with a total score of 96 points is Osaka, Japan’s third most populated city. Osaka also received perfect scores for Stability, Healthcare, and Education, but a 93 for Infrastructure and an 87 for Culture and Environment.

When Osaka placed in the top ten in the 2022 edition of the Global Liveability Index, our longtime Osaka resident writer shared his personal thoughts on why it placed so highly. Now, exactly four years later, we asked him if anything’s changed from his perspective. He shares that while most of Japan has experienced a sharp uptick in inflation over the past few years, it may be that Osaka natives’ innate demand for low prices has helped keep prices relatively reasonable. Like other parts of Japan, however, the city is experiencing a massive influx of foreign tourists, and the heavily touristed downtown areas seem to be catering to them more than to the locals these days.

▼ Don’t surprised if you see takoyaki and other foods cost twice as much in popular touristy areas such as Dotonburi compared to other parts of the city.

To see a less touristy area that’s still in the heart of the city, our writer recommends visiting Mural Town Konohana, which is close to Chidoribashi Station in the city’s Konohana district. This “worldwide murals project” invites artists from around the world to come and paint a mural on a local neighborhood building. Why not go for a stroll, admire some artwork, and pop into one of the local cafes to experience some classic Osaka friendliness? It may just be enough to make you want to move there, too.

6. Geneva

5. Zurich

4. Sydney

3. Melbourne

2. Vienna

1. Copenhagen

On the opposite side, Damascus was ranked the least liveable city in the world with a total score of 32 points.

If you’d like to see where young Japanese people consider the most desirable places to live within Japan, please see the results of this survey for the Kanto region and the results of this survey for the Kansai region.

Source: The Economist via Fuji News Network
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