Sydney has ranked 5th globally on the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026

Earlier this month, Sydney was named the fifth most liveable city in the world on Monocle’s annual Quality of Life survey. Now, there’s further cred to add to our claim that this beautiful (yep, occasionally quite rainy) city is one of the best places in the world to call home – with the Harbour City ranking fourth on the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026. If you've ever found yourself watching the sun rise over the ocean with a top-tier flat white, then jumping on a wildly-affordable ferry across the harbour before finishing the day with dinner in one of the world's best restaurants, you'll agree that this ranking is pretty well deserved. Granted, rent is pretty extortionate, but there’s a whole lot to love about life in Sydney.

RELATED READ: Here’s how Sydney ranked in Time Out’s Best Cities Index for 2026

The annual report ranks 173 cities across five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. This year's results saw Copenhagen hold onto the top spot, followed by Vienna in second and Melbourne in third, with Sydney close behind in fourth place. Rounding out the top ten are Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver and Tokyo.

Sydney earned an impressive overall score of 97 out of 100, matching Melbourne's overall rating and sitting just one point behind Vienna. The Harbour City received perfect scores for healthcare and education, alongside strong ratings of 95 for stability, 96 for infrastructure and 94 for culture and environment.

Australia had an especially strong showing this year, with three cities making the global top ten. Melbourne remained the country's highest-ranked city in third place, while Adelaide secured eighth place, meaning Australia claimed more spots in the top ten than any other country.

The EIU says the global average liveability score remained steady in 2026, although stability scores declined across many parts of the world due to ongoing geopolitical conflict. Improvements to healthcare in parts of Asia helped offset those falls, while Western Europe remained the highest-performing region overall.

The Global Liveability Index has become one of the world's most closely watched annual rankings, often used by governments, businesses and global employers to compare quality of life across major cities. The index assesses everything from access to healthcare and education to public transport, infrastructure, cultural offerings and safety, painting a broad picture of how comfortable each city is to live in.

Between its world-famous beaches, sprawling national parks, thriving arts scene and ever-expanding public transport network, Sydney continues to prove it's more than just a postcard destination – it's one of the very best places in the world to call home.

The 10 most liveable cities in the world for 2026

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

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