Vienna named world’s most liveable city

Austrian capital reclaims top spot

Vienna reclaims top spot for liveability (Getty Images)

Vienna has been named the most liveable city in the world, reclaiming the top spot after tumbling in the rankings last year amid Covid restrictions.

The Austrian capital had previously held the top spot in the 2018 and 2019 annual lists, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), but fell to 12th place in 2021 as museums and restaurants were closed.

“Stability and good infrastructure are the city’s main charms for its inhabitants, supported by good healthcare and plenty of opportunities for culture and entertainment,” reads this year’s report.

Now that the city has reopened, it has rebounded to number one, replacing last year’s winner: Auckland.

The city in New Zealand’s North Island plummeted from first to 34th in the 2022 report, due to coronavirus restrictions being imposed on the ground.

The top 10 was dominated by Europe, with six of the entries located on the continent.

Canada also cleaned up, with three destinations in the top 10: Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.

The UK’s most liveable city was named Manchester, in at 28th place; London followed at 33rd.

Events on the world stage other than the pandemic had an impact on the rankings - Moscow and St Petersburg fell by 15 and 13 places respectively following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Increased censorship accompanies the ongoing conflict,” said the report. “Russian cities are additionally seeing restrictions on culture and environment as a result of western economic sanctions.”

“Raised diplomatic tensions” caused by the war also saw other eastern European cities drop in the rankings.

War-torn Damascus, Syria, was once again named the world’s least liveable city.

To compile the index, each city was given a liveability ranking, which looked at 30 factors across five categories including stability, healthcare, culture, education and infrastructure.

Most liveable cities

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Zurich, Switzerland; Calgary, Canada
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Geneva, Switzerland
6. Frankfurt, Germany
7. Toronto, Canada
8. Amsterdam, Netherlands
9. Melbourne, Australia
10. Osaka, Japan