The Economist Intelligence Unit, the analytical division of The Economist Group, has published the Global Liveability Index 2026—a ranking of living conditions in 173 cities around the world. The index evaluates cities across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
For the second year in a row, Copenhagen was named the world’s most livable city. The top ten included: Copenhagen (Denmark), Vienna (Austria), Melbourne (Australia), Sydney (Australia), Zurich (Switzerland), Geneva (Switzerland), Osaka (Japan), Adelaide (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), and Tokyo (Japan).
Kyiv found itself at the bottom of the ranking: the Ukrainian capital dropped from 165th to 166th place and once again made the list of the world’s ten least livable cities. The main reason is the consequences and risks of a full-scale war, which directly affect stability, infrastructure, and the quality of the urban environment.
Damascus, Syria, remains in last place in the ranking, a position it has held since 2013. Other cities at the bottom of the list include Tripoli, Libya; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tehran, Iran; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kyiv. The EIU notes that nearly all cities at the bottom of the ranking have been affected by war, political instability, poverty, or a combination of these factors.
For Ukraine, the result is painful but expected. Before the war, Kyiv ranked significantly higher: in 2021, it was in 117th place; in 2022, it was excluded from the ranking due to the war; and from 2023 to 2025, it held the 165th position. In 2026, the capital dropped another spot.
The ranking also reflects a general global trend: cities with high stability, advanced healthcare, quality education, and well-developed infrastructure remain at the top, while wars and crises quickly push cities down the list even when they possess strong human and economic potential.
For Kyiv, this index is not so much an assessment of the city’s quality as such, but rather an indicator of the cost of war. Provided that security normalizes, infrastructure is restored, and military risks are reduced, the Ukrainian capital has the potential to return to the middle of the ranking, where it stood until 2022.
