This European City Was Just Named One of the Best Places to Live in the World

Copenhagen is also known as one of the most peaceful in the world, too.

Copenhagen may be known for its bustling food scene, which includes one of the world's best restaurants, Noma, but the Danish capital has also repeatedly been highlighted as a great place to settle down. Most recently, it ranked second in the prestigious Global Livability Index 2024, released annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

With an overall score of 98, just 0.4 behind the winner, Vienna, Copenhagen clocked in perfect 100 scores in the infrastructure, education, and stability categories. In the health care, culture, and environment sections, the Nordic city had 95.8 and 95.4, respectively. While no U.S. cities are among the top 10, Calgary and Vancouver in Canada ranked fifth and seventh, respectively.

Public education in Copenhagen is mostly free and tax-supported for Danish and EU residents, as well as those holding a permanent residence permit in Denmark, Greenland, or the Faroe Islands. In addition, students from low-income families are also eligible for monthly financial support granted by the government.

Denmark has also consistently ranked among the world's top 10 most peaceful countries, and last year, it topped Georgetown University's Women, Peace, and Security Index, which considers 13 indicators such as employment, laws, proximity to conflict, and political violence to measure women's status in society.

While Copenhagen has an excellent network of easily accessible and affordable public transportation, the city also offers bike-friendly infrastructure that encourages residents and visitors to pedal around.

"Western Europe remains the best-performing region for liveability, coming top in four categories, while second-placed North America is best for education," EIU's report stated. "The 30 western European cities in this year's ranking reported an impressive average score of 92 out of 100. However, the region's overall score has slipped since last year, owing to a deterioration in the stability category, amid increasing instances of disruptive protests (such as in Germany, Ireland and Belgium) and crime." Two more European cities, Zurich and Geneva, join Vienna and Copenhagen in the top 10.

The report also highlighted that the improvement in overall scores is only marginal due to geopolitical conflicts, civil unrest, cost of living, and a housing crisis in many of the 173 cities on the list.

The EIU's Livability Index assesses which cities worldwide provide the best living conditions based on 30 factors divided into five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

You can read the complete survey on eiu.com.

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