According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2023 released on June 21, 2023, Vienna, the capital of Austria, has topped the index as the world’s most liveable city. Vienna has secured the top spot for the second consecutive year excelling in all the categories of the index.
- Copenhagen (Denmark) ranked second while Melbourne and Sydney of Australia ranked 3rd and 4th in the index.
- EIU’s index ranks 173 cities across five categories: stability, healthcare, education, culture and the environment, and infrastructure.
- The average liveability score has increased from 73.2 in 2022 to 76.2 (out of 100) in 2023. This is the highest score in 15 years due to improvements made by developing countries and as lives return to normal after COVID-19, education, health and cultural facilities are improving.
Ranking of Indian cities:
5 cities from India have been featured on the EIU’s Global Liveability index 2023.
- New Delhi (Delhi) 141st rank.
- Mumbai (Maharashtra) 141st rank.
- Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 144th rank.
- Ahmedabad (Gujarat) 147th rank.
- Bengaluru (Karnataka) 148th rank.
Highlights:
i.The top 10 spots of the index include three cities in Canada, two in Switzerland, and two in Asia. Most of the top 50, are in rich countries.
ii.Living conditions remain worst in Damascus (the capital of Syria) and it ranks 173 as the least liveable city in the world for the second consecutive year due to social unrest, terrorism and conflict.
iii.Cities in the Asia-Pacific region have rebounded the most. 8 of the top 10 cities whose ranking was improved were from the Acia-pacific region as the economy in this region recover from the Pandemic.
iv.Western Europe cities dominate the top 10 fellers down the ranking due to the war in Ukraine and the economic and political disruptions.
- War-raged Ukraine’s capital Kyiv ranked 165th out of 173 cities. Meanwhile, Moscow in Russia, which fell to 96th place in 2022, remained stable in the 2023 index.
- London, the capital UK capital and Sweden’s capital Stockholm dropped 12 and 22 spots to 46th and 43rd positions.
v.The global average score in 2023 was the highest in 15 years due to improvements made by developing countries and as lives return to normal after COVID-19, education, health and cultural facilities are improving.
City liveability index, March 2023:
| Most liveable | Least liveable | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | City (Country) | Index value | Rank | City (Country) | Index value |
| 1 | Vienna(Austria) | 98.4 | 173 | Damascus(Syria) | 30.7 |
| 2 | Copenhagen(Denmark) | 98.0 | 172 | Tripoli(Lebanon) | 40.1 |
| 3 | Melbourne(Australia) | 97.7 | 171 | Algiers(Algeria) | 42.0 |
| 4 | Sydney(Australia) | 97.4 | 170 | Lagos(Nigeria) | 42.2 |
| 5 | Vancouver(Canada) | 97.3 | 169 | Karachi(Pakistan) | 32.5 |
Note – As per the statement of Upasana Dutt, Head of Liveability Index at EIU, due to the overall removal of COVID-19-based restrictions, Education has emerged stronger with children returning to schools and a significantly reduced burden on hospitals and healthcare systems.
About The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU):
It is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper.
Managing Director – Robin Bew
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
