The Global Liveability Index report of 2021 was released by The Economist Intelligence Unit, today.
According to the report, Auckland, in New Zealand, is at the top of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Liveability rankings. This is primarily owing to the city’s ability to contain the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic faster and thus lift restrictions earlier, unlike others around the world.
Students in New Zealand have been able to continue going to school, giving Auckland a 100% score for education. The New Zealand capital, Wellington, has also gained from this relative freedom, moving from 15th to joint fourth place in our current rankings.
Here are the key findings
- The report finds that the overall global average liveability score has fallen by seven points, as compared with the average pre-pandemic score.
- Healthcare scores fell after the onset of the pandemic in most cities across the world, with the least-affected cities concentrated in western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
- New Zealand and Australia secured the most top mentions with six of the top ten cities in the March 2021 survey.
- Having battled a second Covid-19 wave by restricting most outdoor activities, many European and Canadian cities have fallen down the rankings.
- The lower end of the rankings has seen less change, with the Syrian capital, Damascus, still the least liveable city in the world.
The report ranks 140 cities across five areas: stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure. The data for this survey was gathered between February 22nd and March 21st 2021.
Others who made it to the top
Japanese cities, Osaka and Tokyo ranked second and fourth, respectively, owing to continued high stability scores. In third place is Adelaide in Australia, which also imposed a ban on international travel.
Three more Australian cities—Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane—appear in the top ten, with Sydney in 11th place. The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva also maintained their places in the top ten, despite some social restrictions still being in place.
Information is directly taken from The Global Liveability Index 2021 report by The Economist Intelligence Unit