It’s usually all about the top cities to live in when the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes its annual livability Ranking – but this year the picture is rather more gloomy. The blame falls primarily on the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, terrorism in France and Tunisia, and civil unrest in America, to name but a few factors.
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Cities are given a rating of either acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.
Melbourne, Australia, is the most livable city in the world for the fifth year running.
Out of 2015’s top five cities, four are located in Canada or Australia, which have population densities of 3.40 and 2.88 people per square kilometer, respectively (the global average is 46.65 people per square km). “Protests over matters like police brutality, democracy and austerity have also raised the threat of civil unrest in many countries, notably the U.S.”, the report said, according to Yahoo!
Since 2010, 57 of the cities surveyed “have seen declines in livability” due in part to issues affecting stability and safety.
The world’s biggest cities didn’t fare so well on the list of livability.
China’s top-ranked city, Beijing, moved up five places to 69 in the global ranking.
The EIU survey, released twice a year, assesses the living conditions in 140 cities based on 30 indicators across five categories – stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
In the ranking, Kiev holds the 132nd place, alongside Cameroon’s largest city Douala and the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare.
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While the UK didn’t feature in the top leaderboard, we can reveal that London ranks as 53rd, while Manchester ranks at 46th, making it the UK’s most liveable city.
