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The Global Liveability Index 2026, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranked New Delhi at 120th among 173 cities worldwide, making it the highest-ranked Indian city in this year's index.

What is the Global Liveability Index?

The Global Liveability Index is an annual report that assesses the quality of everyday living conditions in cities across the world. Unlike indices based on economic performance or tourism, it evaluates how suitable a city is for residents by measuring various aspects of urban life.

The index covers 173 cities and evaluates them using 30 qualitative and quantitative indicators, assigning each city a score on a scale of 1–100.

Assessment Parameters

The overall liveability score is based on five broad categories:

• Stability – 25%
• Culture & Environment – 25%
• Healthcare – 20%
• Infrastructure – 20%
• Education – 10%

Key Highlights of the 2026 Report

• The global average liveability score remained unchanged at 76.1, indicating stable living conditions across major cities despite geopolitical and economic challenges.
• Among all assessment categories, healthcare recorded the highest year-on-year improvement, with an average increase of 0.74 points.
• Copenhagen (Denmark) emerged as the world's most liveable city, replacing Vienna, followed by Vienna (Austria) and Melbourne (Australia).

India's Performance

Among Indian cities, New Delhi ranked 120th, followed by Mumbai (121st), Chennai (123rd) and Bengaluru (127th).

The rankings reflect improvements in certain urban services but also highlight persistent challenges related to infrastructure, traffic congestion, pollution, housing, public transport and urban governance, which continue to affect the overall liveability of Indian cities.