The report ranks 140 cities on the criteria of stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education and infrastructure. 

Vienna ranked first with a score of 99.1 (out of 100), receiving top marks in stability, education and infrastructure. 

By comparison, Luxembourg received a score of 94.0, according to a press spokesperson, who added that it placed 24th in the 2018 index. 

European cities generally fared well in the rankings: of 68 cities in the liveability top tier, 31 are European--in fact, of the top 20 cities overall, 8 are European.

Athens, Greece, was “the only western European city not considered to be among the world’s most liveable,” according to the press statement. “This is largely owing to swingeing austerity measures and economic weakness since the global financial crisis of 2008-09, which have affected public-funded areas, such as healthcare, education and infrastructure.”

The four cities which witnessed the biggest improvements year-on-year were Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Hanoi, Vietnam; Kiev, Ukraine and Belgrade, Serbia.