Puerto Rico’s capital drops three spots from the previous year
By Rosario Fajardo
An annual survey of 173 cities worldwide ranks San Juan in the middle of the field at no. 83, according to the 2026 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the sister company of The Economist.
The most liveable cities in the world are located in wealthy countries in Europe and Australia. Copenhagen leads the field – for the second consecutive year as No. 1 – followed by Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney, and Zurich.
The least liveable city in the world is Damascus, which has languished since 2013, due in large part to a years-long civil war. The Syrian capital was followed by Tripoli (Libya), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Karachi (Pakistan), and Algiers (Algeria).
“The [EIU] ranking is designed to help HR departments calculate hardship allowances for overseas staff. It scores 173 cities across five categories: health care, culture and environment, education, infrastructure and stability,” said The Economist.
The concept of livability focuses on which cities around the world provide the best or worst living conditions. Certainly, military conflicts and poverty are prime determinants, as are the availability and quality of key services for the population.
“[The] EIU’s Global Liveability Index evaluates living conditions across 173 cities, providing a globally recognised benchmark for urban liveability and resilience. By measuring indicators across stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, the index quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in any given location,” states the 2026 report.
The concept of stability evaluates indicators of petty crime, violent crime, military conflict, and civil unrest.
Healthcare evaluates the availability and quality of both public and private healthcare, as well as healthcare indicators of the local population.
Culture and environment factors in weather conditions (temperature and humidity), “discomfort of climate,” levels of corruption, food and drink, and the availability of consumer goods and services, among others.
Education evaluates the availability and quality of public and private education, as well as education indicators of the local population.
Infrastructure is the last category, and San Juan arguably scores low in this area as for years, Puerto Rico has suffered from regular electricity blackouts and lack of water services. Among the indicators evaluated are the quality of the road network, public transportation, electricity and water services.
The recognition is based on millions of real-world network tests conducted during the first half of 2026.
PRISA Group is investing $20 million to expand Puerto Rico’s Convention District
The investment enables the opening of two restaurants
