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 stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.[1] Austria's capital, Vienna, has ranked the most liveable city among the 140 cities surveyed by The Economist Intelligence Unit for the second year in a row.[1] Melbourne, Australia, had been ranked by the EIU as the world's most liveable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.[2] Vienna maintains a near-ideal 99.1, separating it from the Australian city by only 0.7 point.

The Syrian capital, Damascus, was ranked the least liveable city of the 140 assessed in 2018 and 2019, reflecting the impact of the ongoing conflict in that country.

Before 2011, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most liveable city from 2002 to 2010. In 2011 the EIU stated that a highway closure on Vancouver Island (separated from Vancouver by the Strait of Georgia and not connected by a bridge) resulted in the "small adjustment" to Vancouver's rating, suggesting a possible error in the 2011 rankings.[3]

Cities from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand typically dominate the top 10, reflecting their widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, and an effective infrastructure. A 2010 opinion piece in The New York Times criticized the Economist Intelligence Unit for being overly Anglocentric, stating that: "The Economist equates liveability with speaking English."[4]

The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities.[5]