According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Index 2023, the shift back to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the list of the most livable cities in the world. The index takes into account indicators such as education, health, and cultural facilities. This year, the global average score was the highest in 15 years.
Vienna, the capital of Austria, retained its position as the world’s most livable city for the second year in a row, followed by Copenhagen. Sydney and Melbourne experienced a jump in rankings after being affected by a highly infectious COVID-19 strain last year, securing the third and fourth spots, respectively.
The Asia-Pacific region saw significant improvements, with eight of the top 10 upward movers coming from that region. Wellington, New Zealand, rose 35 spots to claim the 23rd position, while Auckland climbed 25 places to secure the 10th spot. Hanoi, Vietnam, moved up 20 places to reach the 129th position.
The report highlighted that the shift towards normality after the pandemic has had a positive impact on global livability in 2023, with improvements in education and reduced burden on healthcare systems. Developing economies in Asia and the Middle East also showed notable improvements.
On the other hand, cities in the UK and the US, such as Edinburgh, Manchester, London, Los Angeles, and San Diego, slipped down the rankings. Chinese cities were generally stable compared to the previous year. Damascus, Syria, and Tripoli, Libya, remained at the bottom of the list due to social unrest, terrorism, and conflict.
The Global Livability Index considered over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across categories like stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The data was collected between February 13 and March 12.