City quality of life indices

City Quality of Life Indices are lists of cities that are ranked according to a defined measure of living conditions. In addition to considering the provision of clean water, clean air, adequate food and shelter, many indexes also measure more subjective elements including a city's capacity to generate a sense of community and offer hospitable settings for all, especially young people, to develop social skills, a sense of autonomy and identity.[1]

The reason some cities appear in one ranking but not another is often related to the different criteria used between rankings, but more commonly it is related the difference in weighting given to similar factors.[2]

## The EIU's Global Liveability Ranking

[edit]

Main article: Global Liveability Ranking

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes an annual Global Liveability Ranking, which ranks 140 cities for their urban quality of life based on assessments of their stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.[3]

Melbourne, Australia, had been ranked by the EIU as the world's most livable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.[4] Between 2004 and 2010, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most livable city, with Melbourne sharing first place in the inaugural 2002 report. Vancouver has ranked third since 2015, while Vienna, Austria, ranked second until 2018 when it climbed to the top spot.

The Syrian capital, Damascus, was ranked the least livable city of the 173 assessed in 2024.[5][6]

The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities.[7]

EIU's Global Liveability Ranking 2024[8]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | Vienna |  Austria
2  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
3  | Zürich |  Switzerland
4  | Melbourne |  Australia
5  | Calgary |  Canada
\-  | Geneva |  Switzerland
7  | Sydney |  Australia
\-  | Vancouver |  Canada
9  | Osaka |  Japan
\-  | Auckland |  New Zealand
11  | Adelaide |  Australia
12  | Toronto |  Canada
13  | Helsinki |  Finland
14  | Tokyo |  Japan
15  | Perth |  Australia
16  | Brisbane |  Australia
17  | Frankfurt |  Germany
18  | Luxembourg |  Luxembourg
19  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
20  | Wellington |  New Zealand

## Monocle's Quality of Life Survey

[edit]

Since 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of livable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Livable Cities Index" and presented 20 top locations for quality of life.

Important criteria in this survey are safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, proactive policy developments and medical care.

The 2024 Monocle Survey determined the world's most livable city was Munich, followed by Vienna and Zürich.[9]

Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2024[9]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | Munich |  Germany
2  | Vienna |  Austria
3  | Zürich |  Switzerland
4  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
5  | Madrid |  Spain
6  | Lisbon |  Portugal
7  | Tokyo |  Japan
8  | Melbourne |  Australia
9  | Stockholm |  Sweden
10  | Paris |  France
11  | Helsinki |  Finland
12  | Kyoto |  Japan
13  | Oslo |  Norway
14  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
15  | Sydney |  Australia
16  | Barcelona |  Spain
17  | Berlin |  Germany
18  | Singapore |  Singapore
19  | Milan |  Italy
20  | Athens |  Greece

## Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking

[edit]

American global human resources and related financial services consulting firm Mercer annually releases its Mercer Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York City is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability, public transport and access to goods and services. The list is intended to help multinational companies decide where to open offices or plants and how much to pay employees.

Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking 2024[10]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | Zürich |  Switzerland
2  | Vienna |  Austria
3  | Geneva |  Switzerland
4  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
5  | Auckland |  New Zealand
6  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
7  | Frankfurt |  Germany
7  | Vancouver |  Canada
9  | Bern |  Switzerland
10  | Basel |  Switzerland
11  | Munich |  Germany
12  | Sydney |  Australia
13  | Toronto |  Canada
14  | The Hague |  Netherlands
14  | Wellington |  New Zealand
16  | Düsseldorf |  Germany
17  | Luxembourg |  Luxembourg
18  | Stockholm |  Sweden
19  | Berlin |  Germany
20  | Montreal |  Canada
20  | Melbourne |  Australia
20  | Oslo |  Norway
20  | Ottawa |  Canada
20  | Perth |  Australia
25  | Calgary |  Canada

The full ranking includes 241 cities.

## Movingto Global Liveability Index

[edit]

This index uses data to score stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The results are combined into a final livability index. [11]

Movingto Global Liveability Index 2024 [12]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | Vienna |  Austria
2  | Melbourne |  Australia
3  | Vancouver |  Canada
4  | Toronto |  Canada
5  | Calgary |  Canada
6  | Zurich |  Switzerland
7  | Geneva |  Switzerland
8  | Frankfurt |  Germany
9  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
10  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
11  | Osaka |  Japan
12  | Paris |  France
13  | Sydney |  Australia
14  | Stockholm |  Sweden
15  | London |  United Kingdom
16  | Tokyo |  Japan
17  | Singapore |  Singapore
18  | Helsinki |  Finland
19  | Brisbane |  Australia
20  | Hamburg |  Germany
21  | Wellington |  New Zealand
22  | Hong Kong |  China
23  | Berlin |  Germany
24  | Munich |  Germany
25  | Lyon |  France

## Numbeo's Quality of Life Ranking

[edit]

Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of health care, among other statistics. The rankings are updated twice per year. [13]

Numbeo's Quality of Life Index 2024 Mid-Year [14]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | The Hague |  Netherlands
2  | Luxembourg |  Luxembourg
3  | Eindhoven |  Netherlands
4  | Rotterdam |  Netherlands
5  | Zürich |  Switzerland
6  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
7  | Vienna |  Austria
8  | Helsinki |  Finland
9  | Geneva |  Switzerland
10  | Frankfurt |  Germany
11  | Stuttgart |  Germany
12  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
13  | Perth |  Australia
14  | Reykjavík |  Iceland
15  | Brisbane |  Australia
16  | Austin |  United States
17  | Abu Dhabi |  United Arab Emirates
18  | Melbourne |  Australia
19  | Valencia |  Spain
20  | Seattle |  United States

The full ranking includes 242 cities.

## Happy City Index

[edit]

The Happy City Index produced by the Institute for Quality of Life uses 23 different areas of activity, divided into five key categories to determine the overall sense of happiness among residents directly relating to their quality of life. The ranking includes all cities whose activities can be measured based on objective, transparent, and verifiable data. It also highlights cities that demonstrate exceptional achievements in terms of quality of life. [15]

Happy City Index 2024 [16]

Rank  | City  | Country/Region
1  | Aarhus |  Denmark
2  | Zurich |  Switzerland
3  | Berlin |  Germany
4  | Gothenburg |  Sweden
5  | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
6  | Helsinki |  Finland
7  | Bristol |  United Kingdom
8  | Copenhagen |  Denmark
9  | Geneva |  Switzerland
10  | Munich |  Germany
11  | Stockholm |  Sweden
12  | Rotterdam |  Netherlands
13  | Oulu |  Finland
14  | Vienna |  Austria
15  | Edinburgh |  United Kingdom
16  | Reykjavík |  Iceland
17  | Aalborg |  Denmark
18  | Minneapolis |  United States
19  | Basel |  Switzerland
20  | Ålesund |  Norway
21  | Brisbane |  Australia
22  | Bruges |  Belgium
23  | Luxembourg |  Luxembourg
24  | Bordeaux |  France
25  | Cork |  Ireland

## See also

[edit]

* Cities portal

* European Green Capital Award – Award for a European city based on its environmental record
* Global city – City important to the world economy
* Healthy city – Concept in urban design for health
* List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees
* List of largest cities
* Urban vitality – Intensity of use of an urban area

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 434\. ISBN 9780415252256.
2. ^ Vingerhoets, Ad (28 February 2013), "Why some people cry more often than others", Why Only Humans Weep, Oxford University Press, pp. 162–186, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570240.003.0009, ISBN 978-0-19-857024-0, retrieved 22 July 2023162-186&rft.date=2013-02-28&rft_id=info:doi/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570240.003.0009&rft.isbn=978-0-19-857024-0&rft.aulast=Vingerhoets&rft.aufirst=Ad&rft_id=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570240.003.0009&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:City+quality+of+life+indices" class="Z3988">
3. ^ "Global Liveability Ranking 2016". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
4. ^ Stephanie Chalkley-Rhoden (16 August 2017). "World's most liveable city: Melbourne takes top spot for the seventh year running". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
5. ^ "Coronavirus: Auckland ranked most liveable city as pandemic shifts list". BBC News. 9 June 2021.
6. ^ "The Global Liveability Index 2022" (PDF). The Economist Intelligence Unit. 2022.
7. ^ "The Worldwide Cost of Living Survey". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
8. ^ "The world's most liveable cities in 2024". The Economist. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
9. ^ a b "Paradise cities | Monocle: Issue 165".
10. ^ Quality of living city ranking 2023 \- Mercer
11. ^ https://www.movingto.io/global-liveability-index
12. ^ https://www.movingto.io/global-liveability-index
13. ^ "About Quality of Life Indices At This Website".
14. ^ "Quality of Life Index by City 2024".
15. ^ https://happy-city-index.com/Metholodogy/happycityindex.html
16. ^ https://happy-city-index.com/

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