Australia could be the most livable country in the world according to The Global Livability Index 2021.
Only four nations have cities that made the Top 10 list this year; New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, and Australia – with Australian cities securing four spots on the list.
Adelaide, according to the Global Livability Index, is the third most livable city in the world. Perth secured a strong sixth-place ranking with Melbourne appearing in ninth, just below Geneva, Switzerland. Brisbane rounded out the Top 10 of the most livable cities in the world.
This is the first time since 2019 that The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) compiled a list, and the 2021 rankings reflect individual countries’ response to the COVID19 pandemic. The ranking also considers the fact that due to schools not shutting down, education didn’t suffer.
Because of the restrictions on public gatherings globally during the pandemic, many city's scores fell by an average of 14% in the Culture and Environment category when compiling the list.
“Six of the top ten cities in the March 2021 survey are in New Zealand or Australia, where tight border controls have allowed residents to live relatively normal lives,” the EIU said.
Australia and New Zealand managed to open cities ahead of much of the world, and it factored into the high ranking of cities from the two countries on the list.
All 140 cities that form part of the ranking are measured for excellence in overall Stability, Healthcare, Culture and Environment, Education, and Infrastructure.
Australia’s biggest climber on the list is Perth, which placed as the 14th most livable city in the world in the 2019 EIU report. Perth scored high in the latest data.
Stability: 95, Healthcare: 100.0, Culture & Environment: 78.2, Education: 100.0. Infrastructure: 100.0
Perth is the only Australian city and the only city on the list to receive a perfect score in three categories.
Top 10 Most livable cities in the world according to the Global Livability Index 2021
- Auckland, New Zealand (96.0)
- Osaka, Japan (94.2)
- Adelaide, Australia (94.0)
- Wellington, New Zealand (93.7)
- Tokyo, Japan (93.7)
- Perth, Australia (93.3)
- Zurich, Switzerland (92.8)
- Geneva, Switzerland (92.5)
- Melbourne, Australia (92.5)
- Brisbane, Australia (92.4)
References
The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2021. The Global Livability Index 2021 How the Covid-19 pandemic affected livability worldwide. [online] Available at: https://www. eiu.com/n/campaigns/the-global-liveability-index-2021-download-success [Accessed 9 June]
