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]
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. [2]
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. [3]
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. [4] 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 173 assessed in 2024. [5] [6]
The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities. [7]
EIU's Global Liveability Ranking 2024 [8] | ||
---|---|---|
Rank | City | Country/Region |
1 | Vienna | Austria |
2 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
3 | Zürich | Switzerland |
4 | Melbourne | Australia |
5 | Calgary | Canada |
- | Geneva | Switzerland |
7 | Sydney | Australia |
- | Vancouver | Canada |
9 | Osaka | Japan |
- | Auckland | New Zealand |
11 | Adelaide | Australia |
12 | Toronto | Canada |
13 | Helsinki | Finland |
14 | Tokyo | Japan |
15 | Perth | Australia |
16 | Brisbane | Australia |
17 | Frankfurt | Germany |
18 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
19 | Amsterdam | Netherlands |
20 | Wellington | 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 2024 Monocle Survey determined the world's most livable city was Munich, followed by Vienna and Zürich. [9]
Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2024 [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rank | City | Country/Region | |
1 | Munich | Germany | |
2 | Vienna | Austria | |
3 | Zürich | Switzerland | |
4 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
5 | Madrid | Spain | |
6 | Lisbon | Portugal | |
7 | Tokyo | Japan | |
8 | Melbourne | Australia | |
9 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
10 | Paris | France | |
11 | Helsinki | Finland | |
12 | Kyoto | Japan | |
13 | Oslo | Norway | |
14 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
15 | Sydney | Australia | |
16 | Barcelona | Spain | |
17 | Berlin | Germany | |
18 | Singapore | Singapore | |
19 | Milan | Italy | |
20 | Athens | Greece | |
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 [10] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 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 | |
The full ranking includes 241 cities.
This index uses data to score stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The results are combined into a final livability index. [11]
Movingto Global Liveability Index 2024 [12] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rank | City | Country/Region | |
1 | Vienna | Austria | |
2 | Melbourne | Australia | |
3 | Vancouver | Canada | |
4 | Toronto | Canada | |
5 | Calgary | Canada | |
6 | Zurich | Switzerland | |
7 | Geneva | Switzerland | |
8 | Frankfurt | Germany | |
9 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
10 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
11 | Osaka | Japan | |
12 | Paris | France | |
13 | Sydney | Australia | |
14 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
15 | London | United Kingdom | |
16 | Tokyo | Japan | |
17 | Singapore | Singapore | |
18 | Helsinki | Finland | |
19 | Brisbane | Australia | |
20 | Hamburg | Germany | |
21 | Wellington | New Zealand | |
22 | Hong Kong | China | |
23 | Berlin | Germany | |
24 | Munich | Germany | |
25 | Lyon | France | |
Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of health care, among other statistics. The rankings are updated twice per year. [13]
Numbeo's Quality of Life Index 2024 Mid-Year [14] | ||
---|---|---|
Rank | City | Country/Region |
1 | The Hague | Netherlands |
2 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
3 | Eindhoven | Netherlands |
4 | Rotterdam | Netherlands |
5 | Zürich | Switzerland |
6 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
7 | Vienna | Austria |
8 | Helsinki | Finland |
9 | Geneva | Switzerland |
10 | Frankfurt | Germany |
11 | Stuttgart | Germany |
12 | Amsterdam | Netherlands |
13 | Perth | Australia |
14 | Reykjavík | Iceland |
15 | Brisbane | Australia |
16 | Austin | United States |
17 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates |
18 | Melbourne | Australia |
19 | Valencia | Spain |
20 | Seattle | United States |
The full ranking includes 242 cities.
The Happy City Index produced by the Institue for Quality of Life uses 23 different areas of activity, divided into five key categories to determine the overall sense of happiness among residents directly relating to their quality of life. The ranking includes all cities whose activities can be measured based on objective, transparent, and verifiable data. It also highlights cities that demonstrate exceptional achievements in terms of quality of life. [15]
Happy City Index 2024 [16] | ||
---|---|---|
Rank | City | Country/Region |
1 | Aarhus | Denmark |
2 | Zurich | Switzerland |
3 | Berlin | Germany |
4 | Gothenburg | Sweden |
5 | Amsterdam | Netherlands |
6 | Helsinki | Finland |
7 | Bristol | United Kingdom |
8 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
9 | Geneva | Switzerland |
10 | Munich | Germany |
11 | Stockholm | Sweden |
12 | Rotterdam | Netherlands |
13 | Oulu | Finland |
14 | Vienna | Austria |
15 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
16 | Reykjavík | Iceland |
17 | Aalborg | Denmark |
18 | Minneapolis | United States |
19 | Basel | Switzerland |
20 | Ålesund | Norway |
21 | Brisbane | Australia |
22 | Bruges | Belgium |
23 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
24 | Bordeaux | France |
25 | Cork | Ireland |
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".
A global city 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.
Statistics in the European Union are collected by Eurostat.
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 following are international rankings of Japan.
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.
Note: For rankings with negative connotations, the orders are inverted such that the best country/regions are always ranked "1st".
The World Cities Summit is an international conference series on public governance and the sustainable development of cities.
The following are international rankings of Afghanistan.
The following are international rankings of Vietnam.
Healthcare in Belarus is supervised by the Ministry of Health and funded by general taxation through the National Health Service. Belarusian healthcare is inexpensive and easily available, although specialized care is rare.
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 Liveability 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 2024, 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 a government program aimed at increasing recreation and tourism in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 Realization Programs. It was launched in the middle of 2018.
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.