While India’s economy is rising fast, what counts is the quality of people’s lives. Especially so in urban spaces, as they act as hubs of prosperity.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2026 Global Liveability Index, which ranks cities by parameters of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, shows which hubs are considered the world’s best to live.
The latest findings rank Copenhagen, Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney and Zurich as the top 5, while Algiers, Karachi, Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus are the least liveable. Chinese cities dominate the list of five making the fastest gains. Indian cities score poorly on the index, by and large, though they’re not in the bottom league.
As India’s GDP expands, it must ensure that its urban agglomerations take an upward trajectory on liveability. As of now, cities have only meagre budgets to spend on themselves. China had fiscally empowered its urban zones by the time it reached India’s level of GDP-per-head.
For urban India to offer its residents better lives, a challenge that goes beyond air quality, some structural reforms may be needed. The increased use of municipal bonds is welcome, but just won’t be enough.