Italy ranks 25th in Visual Capitalist’s 2026 ranking of the best countries for quality of life, behind Spain and Portugal but ahead of the United States. Visual Capitalist draws on The Wharton School’s Best Countries Index, based on perceptions gathered from 15,131 adults across 33 countries.
Italy’s place in the 2026 quality-of-life rankings
Italy scores 49.9 in Visual Capitalist’s 2026 table, placing it 25th out of 85 countries. It sits behind South Korea in 24th place and ahead of China in 26th.
Sweden ranks first with a score of 100, followed by Denmark at 98.2 and Canada at 95.0. Europe accounts for 20 of the top 30 positions, with several Nordic countries appearing near the top of the table.
Italy ranks below Spain, which comes 19th with 56.7 points, and Portugal, placed 21st on 56.1. The United States is 27th on 48.6, putting it last among G7 economies in Visual Capitalist’s perception-based ranking.
Ukraine ranks last in the table, followed by Iran and Lebanon. Visual Capitalist links the lowest positions with conflict, economic instability and weak institutions.
Italy leads the world for heritage and cultural influence
Italy ranks 18th overall in The Wharton School’s 2026 Best Countries Index, with a score of 78.4, while its Quality of Life factor ranks 25th on 49.9. It leads the entire index for both Cultural Influence and Heritage, scoring a perfect 100.0 in each category.
Italy also takes third place for Adventure, with a score of 96.4, underlining the strength of its global reputation for culture, history, food, design and travel.
The figures are less favourable for day-to-day economic conditions: Italy is 42nd for being Open for Business, despite placing 21st for Entrepreneurship and 20th for Agility. That contrast mirrors the wider quality-of-life discussion, where the country’s cultural pull sits alongside practical pressures that vary sharply by region.
Italy’s practical quality-of-life indicators in Numbeo’s 2026 data
Italy records a Quality of Life Index score of 152.9 in Numbeo’s 2026 country table, placing 40th overall. Spain ranks 16th with 185.8, and Portugal is 28th with 169.5.
The figures point to a less even result for Italy than the Visual Capitalist ranking suggests.
Indicator | Italy | Spain | Portugal |
|---|---|---|---|
Quality of Life Index | 152.9 | 185.8 | 169.5 |
Purchasing Power Index | 91.4 | 108.0 | 68.7 |
Safety Index | 52.7 | 62.4 | 67.0 |
Health Care Index | 64.9 | 77.2 | 72.0 |
Cost of Living Index | 61.4 | 51.6 | 48.8 |
Property Price to Income Ratio | 8.3 | 8.5 | 13.9 |
Traffic Commute Time Index | 32.0 | 26.5 | 28.5 |
Pollution Index | 53.1 | 35.3 | 29.9 |
Climate Index | 89.8 | 92.8 | 97.8 |
Numbeo’s figures are crowd-sourced, so they work best as broad context rather than a precise description of each Italian city or region.
Property prices show why a national average is not enough
As of August 2026, property prices in Italy average €2,031 per m². The national figure is notably lower than the prices recorded in some of the most sought-after destinations.
Property prices in Rome average €3,800 per m², while property prices in Florence stand at €4,793 per m², more than double Italy’s national average. In Bologna, average prices are €3,824 per m². In some of Italy's top cities for quality of life, the prices can be even higher.
Italy’s Property Price to Income Ratio is 8.3 in Numbeo’s table. This is marginally lower than Spain’s 8.5 and considerably below Portugal’s 13.9. National ratios and asking-price averages still leave out key parts of the housing picture, including local rents, home size, condition and the differences between central and outer districts.
Italy compared with Spain, Portugal and the US
Country | Visual Capitalist rank | Numbeo rank | Numbeo Pollution Index |
|---|---|---|---|
Spain | 19th | 16th | 35.3 |
Portugal | 21st | 28th | 29.9 |
Italy | 25th | 40th | 53.1 |
United States | 27th | 15th | 37.2 |
Italy ranks behind Spain and Portugal in both supplied 2026 tables. Its climate score remains high, but Numbeo records higher costs, longer commutes and more pollution than in Spain or Portugal.
The United States comes 27th in Visual Capitalist’s ranking but 15th in Numbeo’s table. These differing results underline how quality of life rankings can reach different conclusions depending on the data and indicators used.
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