As the world gradually emerges from the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Livability Index 2023, revealing a shifting landscape of the most livable cities worldwide.
With lives returning to normalcy, improvements in education, health, and cultural facilities have contributed to the highest global average score in 15 years, as indicated by the index. For the second consecutive year, Vienna, the capital of Austria, secured the title of the world’s most livable city, followed closely by Copenhagen. Sydney and Melbourne witnessed significant rebounds, claiming the third and fourth positions, respectively, after a previous drop in rankings due to the impact of a highly infectious COVID-19 variant last year.
The Asia-Pacific region experienced notable improvements, with eight out of the ten cities showing the most progress belonging to this region. Wellington in New Zealand leaped 35 spots to reach 23rd place, while Auckland climbed 25 places to secure the 10th position. Hanoi, Vietnam, advanced by 20 places to 129th.
Upasana Dutt, Head of the Livability Index at EIU, stated, “The shift towards normality after the pandemic has overall boded well for global livability in 2023.” Dutt further highlighted the strengthened education sector with the return of children to schools and the reduced burden on healthcare systems, leading to significant improvements in developing economies across Asia and the Middle East.
Among the cities experiencing the greatest decline in rankings, three were from the United Kingdom (Edinburgh, Manchester, and London), and two were from the United States (Los Angeles and San Diego). Chinese cities, on the other hand, remained largely stable compared to the previous year.
The bottom ranks of the list remained occupied by Damascus, Syria, and Tripoli, Libya, with ongoing social unrest, terrorism, and conflicts hindering their livability prospects.
The EIU evaluated 173 cities based on over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The data collection period for the index spanned from February 13 to March 12.