This year and for the fourth year running, Melbourne in Australia has been voted the best city in the world to live in. It scored an overall rating of 97.5 out of 100 by the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) classing it as the most ‘liveable’ city there is. But what factors contribute to voting a certain city the best in the world?
This particular study took 30 different factors into consideration, including issues in the following five categories: stability, infrastructure, education, healthcare and environment. As a result, the study aims to discover the city which provides the best quality of life for its inhabitants by assessing a broad range of influences from income and wealth to experiences such as happiness and freedoms. In fact the top 10 highest ranking cities include 4 that are in Australia; the remaining 6 cities are situated in Austria, Canada, Finland and New Zealand.
So what is the killer combination? Apparently these highest scoring cities are all medium sized with a fairly low population density and are located in some of the more well-off countries in the world. Furthermore, they offer low levels of crime, successful structures and facilities as well as leisure activities. However, interestingly enough none of the cities are from any of the top 9 wealthiest in the world.
As I’ve never been to Australia before, this study has got me thinking whether statistics could really persuade me to jet across the world to live life in what one organization labels ‘the best city’ available. Particularly as London, the city I am currently considering moving to next year has been ranked the third worst in Europe! Of course, though, we all value different aspects above others, for example I could never imagine living in a city without a lot of accessible green spaces and parks. However it doesn’t seem right that only cities from Australasia, Canada and Europe are in the top 10, classing a staggering portion of places in the rest of the world as less ‘liveable’. Perhaps then, liveability is something too personal to convey in statistics, as it all depends on our individual preferences and experiences. Nevertheless, I would certainly like to take a trip to Melbourne to see whether or not it deserves such an impressive title!
Tell us about the city you live in or tell us which city in the world you would most like to live in.
