The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Liveability Index for 2025, assessing 173 cities worldwide across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. This year, Copenhagen has taken the top position, ending Vienna's three-year run as the world's most liveable city. The Danish capital earned high scores in stability, education, and infrastructure, narrowly surpassing Vienna, which saw a decline in its stability rating following recent security incidents. The average global liveability score for 2025 remains steady at 76.1 out of 100, unchanged from 2024. While year-on-year improvements were recorded in healthcare, education, and infrastructure, these were offset by a continued decline in stability, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, civil unrest, and increased security threats in several regions.
The Canada Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka features interactive exhibits and installations that present the country's innovation, culture, and diversity. Designed under the creative direction of Robert Lepage, the pavilion offers an immersive experience aimed at introducing Canada's values and capabilities to a global audience. Additionally, it aims to showcase Canadian innovation, resources, investment, and education to the broader Indo-Pacific region. Centered around regeneration, the design is in line with the broader theme at the Expo: "Designing the Future Society for Our Lives."
UAE Pavilion at the Expo Osaka 2025. Image Courtesy of UAE Expo Office
The UAEPavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, titled "Earth to Ether," presents an immersive, multisensory experience that narrates the story of the United Arab Emirates, from its cultural heritage and core values to its forward-looking innovations. Inspired by the symbolic date palm, the pavilion reimagines areesh, a traditional form of Emirati vernacular architecture, by combining agricultural byproducts from date palms with refined Japanese woodworking techniques. Opened in April 2025, under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," the pavilion is located in the "Empowering Lives" zone. Designed to work under the broader theme, the UAE Pavilion offers diverse programming and interactive exhibits and serves as a collaborative platform for co-creating solutions that "drive collective progress."
The Spanish Pavilion at the Expo Osaka 2025 is designed by the architecture and design practices Néstor Montenegro (EXTUDIO), Enorme Studio, and Smart and Green Design. This comes after being selected in the public competition organized by the Spanish Cultural Action (AC / E), the institution responsible for representing the country in Universal and International Expositions. Located in the northern section of the 65-hectare Pavilion World, within the thematic area of Connecting Lives, the pavilion highlights the key concepts of Oceand and Sun, Sustainability and Circularity, and Craftsmanship Knowledge. The exhibition will be open throughout the event, until October 13, 2025.
Expo 2025 officially opened its doors on April 13, 2025, on Yumeshima, a reclaimed island in Osaka Bay. Held under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," the event brings together over 150 countries and international organizations to address pressing global challenges through architecture, technology, and design. At the center of the Expo grounds stands the Grand Ring, a monumental circular structure designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. Spanning approximately 2 kilometers in circumference and rising to 20 meters in height, the timber structure encircles the main exhibition area and was recognised by Guinness World Records as "The largest wooden architectural structure".
Titled "The People of the Ring," this photo series by Stéphane Aboudaram documents the Grand Ring at Expo 2025 Osaka from a user's perspective, capturing both the structure and the visitors engaging with it.
Uzbekistan has revealed the latest photographs of the pavilion for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, after the recent opening. Designed by Atelier Brückner and realized by NUSSLI, the pavilion aims to showcase the country's vision for the future under the Expo's broader theme, "Designing the Future Society for Our Lives." Composed of modular, reusable wooden elements, the pavilion's architecture will later be reconstructed in Uzbekistan, serving as a studio, workshop, or school.
The Indonesia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, open to visitors from April 13 to October 13, 2025, showcases a combination of tradition and forward-looking vision in alignment with the Expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." Symbolizing the philosophy of "Diversity in Unity," the pavilion draws inspiration from Indonesia's rich maritime history. Its structure takes the form of a stylized boat hull, representing progress and resilience. The rising shape of the design reflects Indonesia's optimistic outlook, moving forward, facing challenges with determination, and striving to achieve ambitious goals.