Global liveability index 2026: why Cape Town and Nairobi beat Europe

(This article first appeared as a Johannesburg newsletter. Subscribe here.)

The annual ritual of "liveability" rankings has arrived, and with it, the usual suspects. According to the latest JB.com assessment—a companion piece to the EIU’s venerable index—Europe still holds the crown, with cameos from Melbourne and Seattle.

But data points like "human development indices" and "global living standards" rarely capture the soul of a place. While the spreadsheets point toward the pristine streets of Vienna or Boston, many of us find our pulse in the chaos of Bangkok, the grit of Dakar, or the coastal breath of Cape Town. It raises a fundamental question: is a city truly "liveable" if it lacks the vibrancy of the global south?

What do you think? Does a Top 10 list mean anything to you, or is your ideal city found elsewhere? Write to our community manager, Aneesa Adams, at aneesa@dailymaverick.co.za and join the conversation.

While the EIU Global Liveability Index remains the most quoted benchmark, its Top 10 list remains a predictable enclave of Western stability, led by Copenhagen and Vienna and rounded out by Pacific stalwarts like Melbourne and Auckland. At the opposite end, the "bottom 10" serves as a stark map of global crisis: Damascus remains entrenched at the bottom due to war, followed by Tripoli and a conflict-scarred Kyiv. Yet, a shift is occurring as Asian and Middle Eastern hubs climb the ranks through aggressive investments in health and education. While these lists are often dismissed as tools for the expat elite, their core metrics—infrastructure, security, and healthcare—provide a necessary blueprint for our own efforts to make cities like Johannesburg more liveable for all.

The JB and EIU indices are often dismissed as mere tools for multinational HR departments to calculate expat "hardship" pay, their core metrics—stability, healthcare, and infrastructure—cannot be ignored. For the 45 major global cities analysed, "liveability" is often a measurement of how easily an elite few can navigate the world. However, as we look toward the 2026 local government elections, these benchmarks should serve as more than just a slight to our national pride. They offer a baseline of what a functional city should provide: reliable water, safe public spaces, and robust health systems. The challenge for Johannesburg is not to climb a Western-centric leaderboard, but to ensure that the "quality of life" measured by these analysts becomes a daily reality for every resident, not just the few.

Some other local news:

1: What’s the pong in the air? Naledi Mashishi went smelling to find out

Environmental watchdogs say ‘rotten egg’ smell over Joburg sign of air pollution crisis.

2: Councillors face attacks for bad service as frustrations grow

Joburg’s power crisis is no longer confined to substations and cables. It is now spilling into the streets. Ward councillors say they are increasingly being left to absorb community anger, intimidation and threats as outages stretch into days while City Power and law enforcement responses lag.

This follows an incident last week where DA Ward 66 Councillor Carlos Da Rocha received several death threats and a warning that his house would be burned down if electricity was not reconnected. The DA is now arguing that electricity instability is generating dangerous conditions and that councillors are being used as the visible shields and “front line” for failures by City entities.

Da Rocha says extended outages and slow restoration have tipped from frustration into intimidation — including threats directed at him personally, despite the fact that ward councillors do not control City Power’s operations.

“We have had regular power outages for three weeks at various points in Albertina Sisulu Road. People sat without power for days and while I don’t condone violence, I can understand residents’ frustrations – they have the right to protest,” he said.

“I have been getting messages that if I don’t attend to the power issues, my house will be burned down. Residents often assume councillors can force action from City Power, but councillors have no operational authority over the entity.”

He warned officials that the situation would become violent, but was ignored. “I reported sometimes two or three times a day, and the messages were read and never answered.”

The DA has called for a clear and transparent plan to stabilise the electricity network, including monthly progress reports to councillors and ward committees. – Anna Cox

3: Mayor Dada Morero faces gazillionth motion of no confidence

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero is facing another motion of no confidence, this time brought by the two-seat party Al Jama-ah who fielded two disasters as mayors. Alex Patrick of News24 reports here. (News24 is paywalled and well-worth a subscription.) It’s different this time as Morero’s party, the regional ANC, is making moves against him as he was voted out as local party boss last December. Will the ANC caucus vote against its own mayor? That’s going to be the story of the next few weeks.

Joburg ‘Person of the day’

Meet Ollie, full name Olwethu Sishuba, barista at the sexy new Troy’s Café in Loveday Street in Marshalltown. Ollie is quick with a smile and fast to serve their excellent coffee, delicious sandwiches and irresistible pasteis de nata, Portuguese custard tarts. Troy’s Café is inside the freshly renovated Aegis Building and is more nook than shop - very New York vibes with an art gallery next door - and is from the team behind the legendary Troyeville Hotel and Casa das Natas, a well-known and much-loved bakery. As Johannesburg in Your Pocket (our favourite city guide) says of Troy’s: “For a moment, you might trick yourself into thinking you’re a tourist in a foreign city - until a Toyota Quantum honks you firmly back to Loveday Street.”

Picture of the day

My go-to spot

44 Stanley | 44 Stanley Avenue
Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg 2092

…. a string of awesome things to do, see and eat!

(This article first appeared as a Johannesburg newsletter. Subscribe here.)