Topic overview
In brief
- The Global Liveability Index ranks U.S. cities lower than European, Australian, and Japanese cities.
- Honolulu is the highest-ranked U.S. city at 25th, while Copenhagen is the most liveable city globally.
- U.S. cities face challenges like housing affordability and crime rates, impacting their liveability rankings.
Summary
In 2026, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its annual Global Liveability Index, revealing that U.S. cities are not among the top contenders for the most liveable places in the world. The highest-ranked U.S. city, Honolulu, placed 25th globally, while Copenhagen, Denmark, topped the list, followed by Vienna, Austria, and Melbourne, Australia. The report highlighted that U.S. cities lag behind their European, Australian, and Japanese counterparts, primarily due to challenges related to housing affordability and crime rates. Portland and Saipan also saw declines in their rankings, with Portland at 48th and Saipan at 87th. New York City, however, made a notable improvement, rising three places to 66th, attributed to reduced crime rates and lower risks of terrorism. Despite these challenges, the EIU noted that U.S. cities perform well in categories such as culture, environment, education, and infrastructure, with a perfect score in education for the top 10 U.S. cities. The report concluded that smaller American cities are often more liveable due to lower crime rates and housing pressures, indicating a need for larger cities to address these issues to improve their standings in future rankings.