• Analysis and Studies
• Global Liveability Ranking 2023

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Liveability Ranking is a widely recognized and influential assessment of global cities' livability. The EIU, a research and analysis division of The Economist Group, publishes this ranking annually.

The EIU Liveability Ranking evaluates and compares the livability of more than 170 cities around the world based on several factors grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. These categories are further broken down into specific indicators and sub-indicators. Here's a brief overview of each category:

• Stability: This category assesses the prevalence of crime, the threat of terrorism, civil unrest, and the overall stability of a city.
• Healthcare: Factors such as the availability and quality of public and private healthcare services, emergency care, and access to prescription drugs are considered in this category.
• Culture and Environment: This category evaluates a city's cultural offerings, including theaters, restaurants, sports facilities, and recreational activities. It also considers the quality of the natural environment, such as air and water quality, and the prevalence of natural disasters.
• Education: The education category looks at factors like the availability and quality of schools, universities, and other educational institutions.
• Infrastructure: This category examines the quality of roads, public transportation, housing, electricity, water supply, and other aspects of a city's infrastructure.

Each indicator and sub-indicator is assigned a rating, and the overall scores are calculated based on weighted averages. The cities are then ranked based on their overall livability score, with higher scores indicating greater livability. The EIU Liveability Ranking provides valuable insights for individuals, businesses, and policymakers seeking to compare cities and make informed decisions about where to live, invest, or visit. It helps identify cities that offer a high quality of life and can serve as a useful reference when considering factors such as safety, healthcare services, educational opportunities, and infrastructure.

The global liveability rankings conducted by the EIU in 2023 show a significant improvement compared to the previous year. The main drivers of these changes are the shift back towards normality after the COVID-19 pandemic and the incremental improvements in liveability made by many developing countries. The average index score across all 172 cities (excluding Kyiv) in the survey has reached 76.2 out of 100, up from 73.2 a year ago. This is the highest score in 15 years for the original comparable list of 140 cities. The most significant improvements have been seen in healthcare scores, followed by gains in education, culture and environment, and infrastructure. However, stability scores have slightly declined due to increasing perceptions of corruption, civil unrest, and crime in some cities, as well as a cost-of-living crisis.

Despite slipping in the rankings in 2021 due to pandemic-related restrictions, Vienna remains the world's most liveable city in the 2023 survey. The city offers a combination of stability, good infrastructure, strong education and healthcare services, and a rich cultural and entertainment scene. Copenhagen retains its second-place position, also known for its consistent high performance.

Melbourne and Sydney have moved up in the rankings, surpassing cities like Frankfurt and Amsterdam. The Australian cities experienced fluctuations during the pandemic but have now secured the third and fourth positions. Their healthcare scores have improved since last year when their systems were stressed by COVID-19 waves. Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland have seen an increase in education scores, while Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto in Canada have improved stability scores compared to the previous year when they faced anti-vaccine protests. Osaka in Japan has received a small boost in culture and environment ratings following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Even among the cities at the bottom of the rankings, there have been some improvements in liveability. Lagos in Nigeria and Algiers in Algeria have shown progress, particularly in their healthcare and education systems. These cities have benefited to some extent from higher global oil and gas prices since they are energy exporters. While corruption remains an issue, there has been additional public funding allocated for infrastructure and public services. The decline in COVID-19 cases has also contributed to the overall improvement.

However, Damascus in Syria, the lowest-ranked city in the survey, has not experienced any positive changes in its liveability scores, despite the regional political resurgence of President Bashar al-Assad.

On the other hand, the war in Ukraine and its resulting economic and political disruptions have significantly impacted liveability in several European cities. This is most evident in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which has re-entered the survey after being excluded due to Russia's invasion in 2022. Unfortunately, Kyiv's score has dropped by 5.9 percentage points since 2021 due to the damaging effects of the war on stability, infrastructure, and overall liveability. It is now among the ten cities with the lowest liveability index scores.