VANCOUVER — Vancouver has once again earned recognition as North America's most livable city, placing ninth worldwide in the 2026 Global Livability Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The annual report evaluates 173 cities across five key categories—healthcare, education, stability, infrastructure, and culture and environment—to measure overall quality of life for residents.

Vancouver improved by one position from last year's rankings, moving ahead of Tokyo to secure its place among the world's top 10 most livable cities. It also remains the only North American city to achieve a top-10 ranking for the second consecutive year.

The Canadian city received an overall score of 96 out of 100, reflecting consistently strong performance across all evaluation categories. Vancouver earned a perfect 100 for education, while scoring 97 for culture and environment, 96 for healthcare, 95 for stability, and 93 for infrastructure.

The report noted that the average livability score across all surveyed cities remained unchanged at 76.1, highlighting the continued gap between the world's highest-performing cities and those facing economic or political challenges.

As a region, North America ranked as the second most livable in the world, behind Western Europe. The region achieved a perfect score in the education category, underscoring the strength of its education systems despite having only one city represented in the global top 10.

Globally, Copenhagen, Denmark, retained its position as the world's most livable city for the second straight year. Vienna, Austria, and Melbourne, Australia, completed the top three, while cities from Australia, Canada, Japan, and Switzerland continued to dominate the highest rankings.

At the opposite end of the index, cities affected by armed conflict, political instability, and economic hardship remained at the bottom of the list. Damascus, Syria, ranked as the world's least livable city, while Tehran, Iran, and Kyiv, Ukraine, also placed among the lowest-ranked locations due largely to ongoing security concerns.

The report also highlighted the growing performance of Asian cities, with nine locations from the region now appearing in the global top 20, reflecting continued improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, and overall living standards.

Vancouver's strong showing reinforces its reputation as one of the world's premier cities to live in, supported by high-quality public services, a robust education system, and a vibrant cultural environment.