Melbourne has climbed the global rankings to be named the third most liveable city in the world, reclaiming its position as Australia’s highest-ranked city in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index 2026.
After sitting in fourth place for the past two years, Melbourne has edged up one spot in the annual assessment of 173 cities worldwide. The result places the Victorian capital behind only Copenhagen, which retained first place, and Vienna, while finishing ahead of Sydney in fourth and Adelaide in eighth.
The annual index measures cities across more than 30 qualitative and quantitative indicators spanning stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
Melbourne achieved an overall score of 97, receiving perfect scores of 100 for both healthcare and education. The city also scored 96 for culture and environment and infrastructure, while earning 95 for stability, helping secure its place among the world’s elite destinations to live.
The strong performance reflects Melbourne’s continued strengths in world-class education, healthcare and cultural offerings, alongside the infrastructure that supports its growing population. From its renowned arts precincts and major sporting events to its universities, parks and extensive public transport network, the city continues to rate highly across the measures that shape everyday life.
Sydney also improved its standing, climbing from sixth to fourth place with an overall score of 96.6, while Adelaide rounded out Australia’s presence in the top 10, finishing eighth with a score of 95.9.
Globally, Copenhagen retained the number one position for the second consecutive year, ahead of Vienna, with Western Europe continuing to dominate the rankings despite improvements across parts of Asia.
For Melbourne, the latest result reinforces its reputation as one of the world’s most desirable places to call home, while once again cementing its status as Australia’s most liveable city.
