City quality of life indices are lists of cities that are ranked according to a defined measure of living conditions. In addition to considering the provision of clean water, clean air, adequate food and shelter, many indexes also measure more subjective elements including a city's capacity to generate a sense of community and offer hospitable settings for all, especially young people, to develop social skills, a sense of autonomy and identity. [1]
Regions with cities commonly ranked in the top 50 include Canada, Western Europe, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. [2] Three examples of such surveys are Monocle's "Quality of Life Survey", the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Global Liveability Ranking", and "Mercer Quality of Living Survey". Numbeo has the largest statistics and survey data based on cities and countries. [3] [ third-party source needed ] Deutsche Bank's Liveability Survey is another ranking of cities by quality of life.
The reason some cities appear in one ranking but not another is often related to the different criteria used between rankings, but more commonly it is related the difference in weighting given to similar factors. [4]
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes an annual Global Liveability Ranking, which ranks 140 cities for their urban quality of life based on assessments of their stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. [5]
Melbourne, Australia, had been ranked by the EIU as the world's most livable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017. [6] Between 2004 and 2010, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most livable city, with Melbourne sharing first place in the inaugural 2002 report. Vancouver has ranked third since 2015, while Vienna, Austria, ranked second until 2018 when it climbed to the top spot.
The Syrian capital, Damascus, was ranked the least livable city of the 140 assessed in 2021 and 2022. [7] [8]
The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities. [9]
EIU's Global Liveability Ranking 2023 [10] | |||
---|---|---|---|
City | Country/Region | ||
1 | Vienna | Austria | |
2 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
3 | Melbourne | Australia | |
4 | Sydney | Australia | |
5 | Vancouver | Canada | |
6 | Zürich | Switzerland | |
7 | Calgary | Canada | |
8 | Geneva | Switzerland | |
9 | Toronto | Canada | |
10 | Osaka | Japan | |
10 | Auckland | New Zealand | |
Since 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of livable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Livable Cities Index" and presented 20 top locations for quality of life.
Important criteria in this survey are safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, proactive policy developments and medical care.
The 2023 Monocle Survey determined the world's most livable city was Vienna, followed by Copenhagen, Munich and Zürich. [11]
Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2023 [11] | |||
---|---|---|---|
City | Country/Region | ||
1 | Vienna | Austria | |
2 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
3 | Munich | Germany | |
4 | Zürich | Switzerland | |
5 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
6 | Tokyo | Japan | |
7 | Helsinki | Finland | |
8 | Madrid | Spain | |
9 | Lisbon | Portugal | |
10 | Melbourne | Australia | |
11 | Berlin | Germany | |
12 | Paris | France | |
13 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
14 | Sydney | Australia | |
15 | Singapore | Singapore | |
16 | Kyoto | Japan | |
17 | Athens | Greece | |
18 | Milan | Italy | |
19 | Oslo | Norway | |
20 | Seoul | South Korea | |
Global Finance is an English-language monthly financial magazine that publishes a list of the world's best cities to live that is based on a score that reflects a comprehensive list of eight unique factors. These are: economic strength; research and development; cultural interaction; livability; environment; accessibility; GDP per capita (nominal in U.S. dollars); and COVID-19 deaths per million for the country. [12]
The World's Best Cities to Live In 2022 [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|
City | Country/Region | ||
1 | London | United Kingdom | |
2 | Tokyo | Japan | |
3 | Shanghai | China | |
4 | Singapore | Singapore | |
5 | Melbourne | Australia | |
6 | Sydney | Australia | |
7 | Paris | France | |
8 | Beijing | China | |
9 | New York | United States | |
10 | Amsterdam | Netherlands |
American global human resources and related financial services consulting firm Mercer annually releases its Mercer Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York City is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability, public transport and access to goods and services. The list is intended to help multinational companies decide where to open offices or plants, and how much to pay employees. Mercer has ranked Austria's capital Vienna first in its annual "Quality of Living" survey since 2009.
Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking 2023 [14] | |||
---|---|---|---|
City | Country/Region | ||
1 | Vienna | Austria | |
2 | Zürich | Switzerland | |
3 | Auckland | New Zealand | |
4 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
5 | Geneva | Switzerland | |
6 | Frankfurt | Germany | |
7 | Munich | Germany | |
8 | Vancouver | Canada | |
9 | Sydney | Australia | |
10 | Düsseldorf | Germany | |
11 | The Hague | Netherlands | |
12 | Wellington | New Zealand | |
13 | Bern | Switzerland | |
14 | Basel | Switzerland | |
14 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
16 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | |
17 | Toronto | Canada | |
18 | Berlin | Germany | |
18 | Ottawa | Canada | |
20 | Montreal | Canada | |
20 | Melbourne | Australia | |
22 | Perth | Australia | |
23 | Calgary | Canada | |
24 | Oslo | Norway | |
25 | Hamburg | Germany | |
26 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
26 | Stuttgart | Germany | |
28 | Canberra | Australia | |
29 | Singapore | Singapore | |
29 | Adelaide | Australia | |
31 | Nuremberg | Germany | |
32 | Paris | France | |
33 | Toulouse | France | |
34 | Helsinki | Finland | |
34 | Brisbane | Australia | |
36 | Brussels | Belgium | |
37 | San Francisco | United States | |
38 | Lyon | France | |
39 | Lisbon | Portugal | |
40 | New York City | United States |
The full ranking includes 241 cities.
The 2019 survey showed the following cities to be highest in quality of life, for numerous reasons [15] (e.g. style, affordability, happiness and pollution etc.):
Cities with the highest quality of life 2019 [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|
City | Country/Region | ||
1 | Zürich | Switzerland | |
2 | Wellington | New Zealand | |
3 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
4 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | |
5 | Vienna | Austria | |
6 | Helsinki | Finland | |
7 | Melbourne | Australia | |
8 | Boston | United States | |
9 | San Francisco | United States | |
10 | Sydney | Australia |
Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of health care, among other statistics. [16]
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The full ranking includes 242 cities.
Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns".
Vienna is the capital, largest city, and one of nine federal states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city and its primate city, with about two million inhabitants, and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the fifth-largest city proper by population in the European Union and the largest of all cities on the Danube river by population.
A global city, also known as a power city, world city, alpha city, or world center, is a city that serves as a primary node in the global economic network. The concept originates from geography and urban studies, based on the thesis that globalization has created a hierarchy of strategic geographic locations with varying degrees of influence over finance, trade, and culture worldwide. The global city represents the most complex and significant hub within the international system, characterized by links binding it to other cities that have direct, tangible effects on global socioeconomic affairs.
Livability or liveability is the degree to which a place is good for living. Livability refers to the concerns that are related to the long-term wellbeing of individuals and communities. It encompasses factors like neighborhood amenities, including parks, open space, walkways, grocery shops and restaurants as well as environmental quality, safety and health. It also incorporates things like cost and friendliness. These features contribute to the pleasantness and accessibility of communities. Additionally, livability considers the availability and quality of public transport, educational institutions and healthcare facilities. It also considers the overall cultural and social atmosphere of a place, including the presence of diverse recreational activities and community engagement opportunities. All these factors combined create an environment that enhances the overall quality of life for residents.
The Democracy Index published by the Economist Group is an index measuring the quality of democracy across the world. This quantitative and comparative assessment is centrally concerned with democratic rights and democratic institutions. The methodology for assessing democracy used in this democracy index is according to Economist Intelligence Unit which is part of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company, which publishes the weekly newspaper The Economist. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped into five categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties, and political culture. In addition to a numeric score and a ranking, the index categorizes each country into one of four regime types: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. The first Democracy Index report was published in 2006. Reports were published every two years until 2010 and annually thereafter. The index includes 167 countries and territories, of which 166 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. Other democracy indices with similar assessments of the state of democracy include V-Dem Democracy indices or Bertelsmann Transformation Index.
Monocle is a global affairs and lifestyle magazine, 24-hour radio station, website, retailer and media brand, produced by Winkreative Ltd. It was founded by Tyler Brûlé, a Canadian entrepreneur, Financial Times columnist, and founder of Wallpaper* magazine.
The following are international rankings of Malaysia.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, country risk service reports, and industry reports. The EIU provides country, industry, and management analysis worldwide and incorporates the former Business International Corporation, a UK company acquired by its parent company in 1986. The EIU has its main offices in four cities—London, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai.
The World Cities Summit is an international conference series on public governance and the sustainable development of cities.
The following lists show's India's international rankings in various fields and topics. India is a democratic country which gained independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947.
The following are some international rankings for Singapore.
The following are international rankings of Vietnam.
The World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the health systems of its 191 member states in its World Health Report 2000. It provided a framework and measurement approach to examine and compare aspects of health systems around the world. It developed a series of performance indicators to assess the overall level and distribution of health in the populations, and the responsiveness and financing of health care services. It was the organization's first ever analysis of the world's health systems.
Numbeo is a Serbian crowd-sourced online database of perceived consumer prices, real property prices, and quality of life metrics. The website was founded in April 2009 by former Google employee Mladen Adamović, to enable users to share and compare information about the cost of living between countries and cities. Since 2012, the website has been operated by NUMBEO DOO Beograd-Palilula, a Serbian private limited company run by Adamović. According to Adamović, the website earns money through advertising and the sale of subscriptions to its API.
The Global Livability Ranking is a yearly assessment published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranking 172 global cities for their urban quality of life based on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Austria's capital, Vienna, was ranked the most liveable city in 2023 and 2022 among the 172 cities surveyed by The Economist Intelligence Unit, having previously won in 2019 and 2018, and came second in 2017 and 2016. Auckland was ranked the most liveable city in 2021. Melbourne, Australia, was ranked by the EIU as the world's most liveable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.
The following are international rankings of Shanghai by categories.
The Quality of Life Program (QOLP) is one of the Saudi Vision 2030 Realization Programs. It was launched in the middle of 2018 with the strategic aim of improving the ‘lifestyle’ and ‘livability’ of individuals, families, and communities. The program hopes to achieve its goals by transforming cities by supporting and creating more choices that foster participation in environmental, cultural, social, entertaining, sporting, and other activities. According to the program, these activities aim to increase overall wellbeing while creating additional jobs, diversifying the economy, and improving the overall status of Saudi cities to be "among the world's best cities.".
British Columbia (B.C.) is the third largest Canadian province by population and fourth largest provincial economy. Like other provinces in the Canadian federation, B.C. consists of both private and public institutions. However, as Canada's westernmost province, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, B.C. has unique economic characteristics that distinguish it from much of the rest of Canada.
According to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2020 report issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Singapore, Hong Kong, and Osaka share the title of costliest city in the world. The list was prepared based on their Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) Index scores. The Worldwide Cost of Living survey was done in order to compare the cost of living indices in cities all over the world.