City quality of life indices

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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]

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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 EIU's Global Liveability Ranking

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
2 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
3 Zürich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
4 Melbourne Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
5 Calgary Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
- Geneva Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
7 Sydney Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
- Vancouver Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
9 Osaka Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
- Auckland Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
11 Adelaide Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
12 Toronto Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
13 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
14 Tokyo Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
15 Perth Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
16 Brisbane Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
17 Frankfurt Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
18 Luxembourg Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
19 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
20 Wellington Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand

Monocle's Quality of Life Survey

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 Munich Flag of Germany.svg Germany
2 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria
3 Zürich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
4 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
5 Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Spain
6 Lisbon Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal
7 Tokyo Flag of Japan.svg Japan
8 Melbourne Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
9 Stockholm Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
10 Paris Flag of France.svg France
11 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg Finland
12 Kyoto Flag of Japan.svg Japan
13 Oslo Flag of Norway.svg Norway
14 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
15 Sydney Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
16 Barcelona Flag of Spain.svg Spain
17 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg Germany
18 Singapore Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore
19 Milan Flag of Italy.svg Italy
20 Athens Flag of Greece.svg Greece

Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria
2 Zürich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
3 Auckland Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
4 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
5 Geneva Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
6 Frankfurt Flag of Germany.svg Germany
7 Munich Flag of Germany.svg Germany
8 Vancouver Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
9 Sydney Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
10 Düsseldorf Flag of Germany.svg Germany
11 The Hague Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
12 Wellington Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
13 Bern Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
14 Basel Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
14 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
16 Luxembourg Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg
17 Toronto Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
18 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg Germany
18 Ottawa Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
20 Montreal Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
20 Melbourne Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
22 Perth Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
23 Calgary Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
24 Oslo Flag of Norway.svg Norway
25 Hamburg Flag of Germany.svg Germany

The full ranking includes 241 cities.

Movingto Global Liveability Index

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria
2 Melbourne Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
3 Vancouver Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
4 Toronto Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
5 Calgary Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
6 Zurich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
7 Geneva Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
8 Frankfurt Flag of Germany.svg Germany
9 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
10 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
11 Osaka Flag of Japan.svg Japan
12 Paris Flag of France.svg France
13 Sydney Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
14 Stockholm Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
15 London Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
16 Tokyo Flag of Japan.svg Japan
17 Singapore Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore
18 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg Finland
19 Brisbane Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
20 Hamburg Flag of Germany.svg Germany
21 Wellington Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
22 Hong Kong Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
23 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg Germany
24 Munich Flag of Germany.svg Germany
25 Lyon Flag of France.svg France

Numbeo's Quality of Life Ranking

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 The Hague Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
2 Luxembourg Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg
3 Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
4 Rotterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
5 Zürich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
6 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
7 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria
8 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg Finland
9 Geneva Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
10 Frankfurt Flag of Germany.svg Germany
11 Stuttgart Flag of Germany.svg Germany
12 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
13 Perth Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
14 Reykjavík Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland
15 Brisbane Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
16 Austin Flag of the United States.svg United States
17 Abu Dhabi Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates
18 Melbourne Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
19 Valencia Flag of Spain.svg Spain
20 Seattle Flag of the United States.svg United States

The full ranking includes 242 cities.

Happy City Index

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]
RankCityCountry/Region
1 Aarhus Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
2 Zurich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
3 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg Germany
4 Gothenburg Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
5 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
6 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg Finland
7 Bristol Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
8 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
9 Geneva Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
10 Munich Flag of Germany.svg Germany
11 Stockholm Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
12 Rotterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
13 Oulu Flag of Finland.svg Finland
14 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria
15 Edinburgh Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
16 Reykjavík Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland
17 Aalborg Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
18 Minneapolis Flag of the United States.svg United States
19 Basel Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
20 Ålesund Flag of Norway.svg Norway
21 Brisbane Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
22 Bruges Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
23 Luxembourg Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg
24 Bordeaux Flag of France.svg France
25 Cork Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland

See also

Related Research Articles

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global city</span> City important to the world economy

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livability</span>

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.

<i>Monocle</i> (brand) Lifestyle magazine

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Belarus</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Numbeo</span> Crowd-sourced online database

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of British Columbia</span>

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.

References

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  2. Vingerhoets, Ad (28 February 2013), "Why some people cry more often than others", Why Only Humans Weep, Oxford University Press, pp. 162–186, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570240.003.0009, ISBN   978-0-19-857024-0 , retrieved 22 July 2023
  3. "Global Liveability Ranking 2016". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  4. Stephanie Chalkley-Rhoden (16 August 2017). "World's most liveable city: Melbourne takes top spot for the seventh year running". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. "Coronavirus: Auckland ranked most liveable city as pandemic shifts list". BBC News. 9 June 2021.
  6. "The Global Liveability Index 2022" (PDF). The Economist Intelligence Unit. 2022.
  7. "The Worldwide Cost of Living Survey". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  8. "The world's most liveable cities in 2024". The Economist. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Paradise cities | Monocle: Issue 165".
  10. Quality of living city ranking 2023 - Mercer
  11. https://www.movingto.io/global-liveability-index
  12. https://www.movingto.io/global-liveability-index
  13. "About Quality of Life Indices At This Website". www.numbeo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  14. "Quality of Life Index by City 2023". www.numbeo.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  15. https://happy-city-index.com/Metholodogy/happycityindex.html
  16. https://happy-city-index.com/