The Australian city wins the top honour in the annual Liveability Ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) with an almost perfect score of 97.5.
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Although it’s usually the top cities that warrant the most attention, the latest findings of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Ranking reflect a marked increase in global instability over the last 12 months.
Tied with Adelaide, Australia for the fifth spot on the list, Calgary follows Vancouver and Toronto, which are ranked third and fourth respectively.
The Economist ranking considered 30 factors, including security, level of health care, educational resources, infrastructure and the environment. Ongoing conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya have been compounded by terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia as well as civil unrest in America. New York, New York was rated at number 55 for livability. Each of these cities separated by only 0.1 point, according to the publication’s rankings.
Gradually increasing stability has seen marginal improvements in the score of Lagos in Nigeria, but the continued threat from groups like Boko Haram acts as a constraint.
“Our recent brand overhaul to Brand Victoria will also ensure Victoria and its magnificent capital Melbourne – remain the envy of the world when it comes to its economy, its cultural diversity, world class events and liveability”, said Rowell.
According to the EIU, these cities were chosen because they have relatively few challenges to living standards, good infrastructure and healthcare, and a low murder rate.
Survey editor Jon Copestake told the Herald Sun that one-fifth of cities surveyed experienced declines in liveability over the past year. For quantitative indicators, a rating is calculated based on the relative performance of a number of external data points.
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The rating is out of 100, a score which would indicate an ideal place to live in.
