Economist Survey Ranks Vienna As Most Liveable City In The World

Austria’s capital, Vienna, has taken first place in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index, making it the most pleasant city to live in, reports Reuters.

The results of the survey push Melbourne out of first place for the first time in seven years. The two metropolises have been competing against one another for years, with Melbourne consistently coming in just ahead of Vienna. However, with reduced terrorist threats in western Europe and the city’s relatively low crime rate, this year handed Vienna the title.

“A long-running contender to the title, Vienna has succeeded in displacing Melbourne from the top spot due to increases in the Austrian capital’s stability category ratings,” the EIU reported.

Vienna and Melbourne both ranked high in terms of education, healthcare, and infrastructure, but while Melbourne ranked higher in the culture and environment categories, Vienna ultimately took the lead with its higher stability ranking. This is also the first time a European city has taken first place.

The index considers a variety of factors in its ranking, including political and social stability, crime, education, and access to healthcare. The EIU said that crime, civil unrest, and terrorism are the largest factors that put cities in the lowest 10 spots.

Osaka, Calgary, and Sydney completed the top five most liveable cities in the list while at the other end, Damascus took last place, followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Lagos, Nigeria.

Although this is the first time Vienna has topped the EIU survey, which started in 2004, it has regularly ranked high across the board for quality of life. The EIU tends to favor medium-sized, wealthy cities with low population density. Statistically, cities with higher population densities have higher crime rates and weaker infrastructure.

In Vienna, public transport is cheap, reliable, and efficient, while the city is full of green spaces, lakes, beaches, and vineyards.

The survey’s editor, Roxana Slavcheva, commented on Vienna’s selling point, its low crime rate, writes Reuters.

“One of the sub-categories that Vienna does really well in is the prevalence of petty crime… It’s proven to be one of the safest cities in Europe.”

The 10 Most Liveable Cities In 2018

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Osaka, Japan

4. Calgary, Canada

5. Sydney, Australia

6. Vancouver, Canada

7. Tokyo, Japan

8. Toronto, Canada

9. Copenhagen, Denmark

10. Adelaide, Australia

The 10 Least Liveable Cities In 2018

1. Damascus, Syria

2. Dhaka, Bangladesh

3. Lagos, Nigeria

4. Karachi, Pakistan

5. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

6. Harare, Zimbabwe

7. Tripoli, Libya

8. Douala, Cameroon

9. Algiers, Algeria

10. Dakar, Senegal