Look away now Sydneysiders, because Melbourne has easily retained its place in the top 10 of the world’s most liveable cities.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its 2022 countdown day, with their Global Liveability Index ranking 173 global cities in terms of the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle.
Melbourne was Australia’s best representative, coming in 10th, but it wasn’t such good news for the rest of the country’s cities.
The list saw poor Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth drop out of the top 10 from last year, falling rather dramatically to 27th, 30th, and 32nd respectively. What happened, you three? According to the EIU, the slow removal of COVID-19 restrictions was a major reason for the three cities dropping so low.
The top 10 picks were those who had reportedly improved strongly after the pandemic. “Cities that were towards the top of our rankings before the pandemic have rebounded on the back of their stability, good infrastructure and services, as well as enjoyable leisure activities,” the report stated.
Away from Australia, the top three consisted of Vienna, Copenhagen, and Zurich, who at this point should just be referred to as ‘The Usual Suspects’. Bad luck if you live in Damascus, Lagos, and Tripoli though, which were considered to be the world’s three least liveable cities.
What about Ukraine and Russian cities, I hear you ask? The former’s capital Kyiv was rightly excluded from the list due to the current invasion. Russia’s Moscow and St Petersburg were actually still included, dropping 13 and 15 places respectively.
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In 2023, Melbourne has one clear goal: take back the top spot. The Victorian city held the title of the world’s most liveable city for a massive seven years from 2011 before Vienna stole the throne in 2018.
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