10 World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2022
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has just released its annual ranking of the world’s most liveable cities of 2022, and the Global Livability Index shows some significant differences from the previous year. The Global Livability Index quantifies the challenges to an individual’s way of life in 173 cities. Relaxed covid-19 restrictions in some parts of the world resulted in large shifts across the index in 2022, with one city reclaiming first place. Let’s check out which city tops the chart in terms of the global livability index What is The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) provides in-depth analysis and insight into economic and political developments in an increasingly complex global environment, identifying opportunities, trends, and risks on a global and national scale. With more than 70 years of experience, it is uniquely positioned to be a commentator, interpreter, and forecaster on the phenomenon of globalization as it gathers momentum, allowing businesses, financial institutions, educational institutions, and governments to plan effectively for uncertain futures. Global Livability Index 2022 The covid-19 pandemic has primarily affected the EIU’s worldwide livability rankings during the past two years, with lockdowns and social segregation measures hurting scores for culture, education, and healthcare in cities all around the world. However, since several countries have withdrawn their prohibitions, the index in our most recent poll has returned to normal. Due to the closure of its museums and restaurants, Vienna fell to 12th in our rankings at the beginning of 2021. However, it has since risen to the top, where it has remained since 2018 and 2019. The city’s residents are drawn to it by its stability, solid infrastructure, access to good healthcare, and abundance of options for culture and leisure. Although the pandemic has subsided, a new threat to Livability materialized on February 24, 2022, in the middle of our survey period, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Since we were compelled to stop, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is not included in our rankings. Moscow, the capital of Russia, witnessed a 15-place decline in livability, while St. Petersburg fell by 13 spots. The continued war is accompanied by increased censorship. The impacts of Western economic sanctions, which will likely be more pronounced in our next survey, are also causing constraints on culture and the environment in Russian cities. Other eastern European capitals, including Warsaw (Poland) and Budapest (Hungary), suffered a decline in their stability rankings as diplomatic tensions increased. Top 10 Positions in Global Livability Index 2022 Vienna, Austria Copenhagen, Denmark Zurich, Switzerland Calgary, Canada Vancouver, Canada Geneva, Switzerland Frankfurt, Germany Toronto, Canada Amsterdam, Netherlands Osaka, Japan, and Melbourne, Australia Vienna, Austria Rank – 1 Livability Index – 99.1 Copenhagen, Denmark Rank – 2 Livability Index – 98.0 Zurich, Switzerland Rank – 3 Livability Index – 96.3 Calgary, Canada Rank – 3 Livability Index – 96.3 Vancouver, Canada Rank – 5 Livability Index – 96.1 Geneva, Switzerland Rank – 6 Livability Index – 95.9 Frankfurt, Germany Rank – 7 Livability Index – 95.7 Toronto, Canada Rank – 8 Livability Index – 95.4 Amsterdam, Netherlands Rank – 9 Livability Index – 95.3 Osaka, Japan Rank – 10 Livability Index – 95.1 Melbourne, Australia Rank – 10 Livability Index – 95.1 How is the EIU rating determined? The livability score is calculated using category weights that are divided equally into relevant subcategories in order to cover as many indicators as possible. Indicators are rated as acceptable, tolerable, unpleasant, undesirable, or intolerable. These are then weighted to produce a rating, with 100 indicating that a city’s livability is ideal and 1 indicating that it is intolerable. An “EIU rating” is assigned to qualitative variables based on the judgment of in-house expert geography analysts and a field correspondent based in each city. A rating is calculated for quantitative variables based on the relative performance of a location using external data. Factors on which the EIU Livability rating is determined Category 1: Stability (weightage: 25% of total) Humidity/temperature rating The discomfort of climate for travelers Level of corruption Social or religious restrictions Level of censorship Sporting availability Cultural availability Food and drink Consumer goods and services Category 2: Healthcare (weightage: 20% of total) Availability of private healthcare Quality of private healthcare Availability of public healthcare Quality of public healthcare Availability of over-the-counter drugs General healthcare indicators Category 3: Culture & Environment (weightage: 25% of total) Humidity/temperature rating The discomfort of climate for travelers Level of corruption Social or religious restrictions Level of censorship Sporting availability Cultural availability Food and drink Consumer goods and services Category 4: Education (weightage: 10% of total) Availability of private education Quality of private education Public Education Category 5: Infrastructure (weightage: 20% of total) Quality of road network Quality of public transport Quality of international links Availability of good-quality housing Quality of energy provision Quality of water provision Quality of telecommunications Final Thoughts & Future Livability Trends The threat to security will persist since it is anticipated that the war will last through the end of 2022 at the very least before settling into a political standoff. Additionally, the war is exacerbating worldwide inflation and slowing global growth by obstructing the flow of food and energy from Russia and Ukraine. Other sources of conflict could result from this. However, the image painted by the most recent survey is largely optimistic. The global average livability score has improved because of the gradual and continuous change in the status of COVID-19 from the pandemic to the endemic and an increase in vaccination rates worldwide. The score has increased from 69.1 to 73.6 (out of 100), but it is still lower than the average of 75.9 reported before the pandemic. The three areas that saw the most progress in the last year were healthcare, education, and culture, all of which were negatively impacted by lockdowns. While stability has declined, the infrastructure scores have remained largely unchanged. Along with rising international tensions, (Hungary) also observed a decline in stability scores. Western European cities continue to