The Global Liveability Index 2018 has ranked Vienna, Austria as the world’s most liveable city, while three other European cities have seen the biggest increases.
The Global Liveability Index is an annually published list by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of The Economist Group. Vienna managed to unseat Melbourne, which had been ranked the world’s most liveable city for seven consecutive years prior to 2018, to take the top spot, Copenhagen, Denmark was ranked ninth.
The full list of the world’s most liveable cities, according to the report, is:
- Vienna, Austria
- Melbourne, Australia
- Osaka, Japan
- Calgary, Canada
- Sydney, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Toronto, Canada
- Tokyo, Japan
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Adelaide, Australia
A total of 140 cities were assessed based on their living conditions, using an algorithm which quantifies lifestyle challenges faced by citizens in each city, allowing for direct comparison between them. The cities are assigned ratings based on more than 30 quantitative and qualitative factors, including environment, culture, healthcare, education, infrastructure and stability.
How did European cities perform in the ranking?
Three European cities were among those that registered the highest increase in their scores: Manchester, UK, Paris, France and Copenhagen. Overall, the scores of all of the top ranked cities improved over the past 12 months, to which stronger security and stability were the primary contributing factors.
Further, while two European cities – Helsinki, Finland and Hamburg, Germany – fell out of the top ten this year, neither city’s fall was due to a reduction in its overall score. Other factors which have contributed to the scores of these cities are the crime rate, the availability of public transportation, and population density.
The EU has drawn attention to the fact that mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a low population density typically rank higher, in large part because they can offer a range of recreational activities without putting strain on infrastructure or leading to higher crime levels.
