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Vienna Ranked Second in Global Liveability Index 2026

The placement highlights strong mobility, ample green space and broad safety perception, yet education results and conflicting social surveys complicate a simple reading of the score.

Overview

  • The Global Liveability Index 2026 places Vienna second out of 173 metropolitan areas, marking another top-tier finish in international quality-of-life lists.
  • Multiple rankings show clear strengths in transport and movement, with luggagehero.com naming Vienna a leading city for pedestrians and cyclists.
  • Green-space data used in some comparisons report about 112 square metres per person for Vienna, though that figure comes from a 2021 comparethemarket study.
  • Education indicators are weaker: Austrian students score around the middle in comparisons and the University of Vienna appears roughly between ranks 95 and 120 in QS listings.
  • Public perception surveys conflict, with Condé Nast readers rating Viennese friendliness highly and Expat Insider 2025 ranking Viennese politeness poorly, highlighting how differing methods and older data make cross-study comparisons hard and limit what a single ranking can tell residents and policymakers.