Worldwide which are the best and the worst cities in which to live?
Each year, the Economist Intelligence Unit produces a Global Liveability Index and it has just published this year’s results.
The ten most liveable cities in 2018 are:
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
Vienna has dislodged the Melbourne as the most pleasant city to live in. The Australian city has clinched the title for the past seven editions, but a downgraded threat of militant attacks in western Europe, as well as the Austrian capital’s low crime rate, helped nudge Vienna into first place.
In the survey, Manchester (the city where I grew up) saw the biggest improvement of any European city, rising by 16 places to rank 35th. Manchester’s rise puts it ahead of London (the city where I have lived for the past 47 years) in the rankings by 13 places, the widest gap between the two cities since the survey began two decades ago.
The ten least liveable cities in 2018 are:
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
The survey does not include several of the world’s most dangerous capitals, such as Baghdad and Kabul.