World's most liveable cities

The world's most liveable cities is an informal name given to any list of cities as they rank on an annual survey of living conditions. Regions with cities commonly ranked in the top 50 include Australasia, North America, East Asia, Northern Europe, and Western Europe.[1] Three examples of the surveys are Monocle's "Most Liveable Cities Index", the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Liveability Ranking and Overview", and "Mercer Quality of Living Survey". Numbeo has the largest statistics and survey data based on cities and countries.[2] Liveability rankings are designed for use by employers assigning hardship allowances as part of job relocation, however the usefulness of using such a ranking to determine salary packaging remains unclear.

Monocle's Quality of Life Survey

Tokyo was ranked highest by Monocle in 2015

Since 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of liveable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Liveable Cities Index" and presented 25 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, pro-active policy developments and medical care.

The 2015 Monocle Survey determined the world's most liveable city is Tokyo (a total of three Japanese cities were on the list); the two most populous Australian cities were in the top 5, while no cities in South America, South Asia, or Africa made the list.[3][4]

The EIU's Liveability Ranking

Melbourne has been ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the world's most liveable city since 2011

The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) most recent liveability ranking shows cities in Australia, Canada, Austria, Finland and New Zealand as the ideal destinations, thanks to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, and an effective infrastructure. It does not take into account the cost of living as a factor in 'liveability'. The Economist Intelligence Unit has been criticised by The New York Times for being overly anglocentric, stating that "The Economist clearly equates livability with speaking English."[5]

Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking

Vienna was top ranked in the 2015 Mercer Quality of Living Survey

American global human resource 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.


See also

References

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