Vienna gets the top spot followed by Copenhagen with Zurich and Calgary tied for third

Durrant Pate/Contributor

The annual ranking of the world’s most livable cities has just been released with Vienna, Austria holding the number one spot out of a ranking of 173 cities around the world based on a variety of factors.

Copenhagen, Denmark came in at second place with Zurich, Switzerland and Calgary, Canada both tied in third spot. The ranking released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and 2022’s Global Livability Index shows some marked differences from the previous year.

The EIU, which is a sister organisation to The Economist, examined factors including health care, crime rates, political stability, infrastructure and access to green space in arriving at the ranking. The overall country winner was Canada, regarded as the Great White North, having three of its cities represented in the top 10 in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.

Overall, Europe dominated the top listing with six spots in the top 11 Copenhagen. Switzerland was the only country in Europe to have two entries in the top 10 with Geneva in sixth position and Zurich landing in a tie for third.

The authors of the index note that, “cities that were towards the top of our rankings before the pandemic have rebounded on the back of their stability, good infrastructure and services, as well as enjoyable leisure activities”.

Biggest losers in 2022

Last year’s winner, New Zealand’s Auckland, fell out of the top 10 in 2022 to land at a surprising 34th place, while neighbouring Australia had the most noticeable drop in the rankings this year. Despite having topped the list in the past, Melbourne fell to 10th place in 2022.

In 2021, Australia dominated the EIU index, with Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth all joining Melbourne in the top 10. This year, they rank 27th, 30th and 32nd respectively. Wellington, New Zealand’s capital was in fourth place in 2021 but also dropped out of the top 10 this year.

Though Europe had a very good showing in 2022, there are two noticeable entries missing such as London and Paris. Increased cost of living expenses played a role in both metropolises, as did the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union.

Ongoing global conflict was the number-one factor determining which countries ranked at the bottom of the list. Damascus, Lagos and Tripoli were rated the three least livable cities in the world.

Meanwhile, Kyiv was not analysed this year due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Most expensive countries to live in

Earlier this month, global mobility company ECA International released its list of the world’s most expensive cities to live in, with a focus on expats. Hong Kong had the dubious honour of coming in first place with New York City, Geneva, London and Tokyo rounding out the top five.

The only city to appear on both the ECA and EIU indexes was Geneva. The most expensive cities ranking was determined solely by economic factors – average rent, the price of gas and the like – as opposed to the EIU list, which looks at a city’s cultural attractions like museums and concerts as well as infrastructure like mass transit.

Top 10 liveable cities

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

3. Zurich, Switzerland (tie)

3. Calgary, Canada (tie)

5. Vancouver, Canada

6. Geneva, Switzerland

7. Frankfurt, Germany

8. Toronto, Canada

9. Amsterdam, Netherlands

10. Osaka, Japan (tie)

10. Melbourne, Australia (tie)