In a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit on the top 10 cities to live worldwide, European countries emerged as the leaders. However, the same report also highlights a significant decline in rankings for several European cities, along with two cities from the United States: San Diego and Los Angeles.
The London-based forecasting and advisory services company assessed various factors, including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure, to determine an overall livability rating for each country. The survey, conducted between February and March, encompassed 172 cities and saw an overall increase in the rating from 73.2 to 76.2 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the highest.
Leading the rankings in 2023 is Vienna, Austria, followed closely by Copenhagen, Denmark, and Melbourne, Australia. Notably, all the countries in the top 10 share a common advantage: a 100 score in education. Access to quality healthcare also played a significant role in securing top positions for cities. The top 10 list includes three cities from Canada and three cities from Australia.
However, some cities in Europe and the United States experienced a decline in rankings. Edinburgh, Manchester and London in the United Kingdom saw drops in their positions. While these cities did not witness significant score declines, they failed to make gains compared to other cities worldwide.
The Asia-Pacific region, which has largely lifted COVID-19 restrictions, showed the most progress. Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand were highlighted as cities with significant upward mobility in rankings.
On the other hand, cities facing social unrest, terrorism and conflict continued to dominate the bottom 10 positions. Kyiv, bombarded by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, remained at a low ranking due to infrastructure and stability issues. Damascus, Syria, and Tripoli, Libya, persistently occupied the lowest rankings, though some progress was observed as the pandemic subsided in these cities, according to the report. Russia maintained its position in the rankings, holding steady compared to the previous year.