Vienna named world's 'most liveable city' for 2023

WASHINGTON: The Austrian capital Vienna has been named as the world's "most livable city" for 2023 after winning praise for its reliable infrastructure, standout culture and entertainment and impeccable education and health services, the media reported.

The ranking of 173 cities was released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on Wednesday which is based on a number of significant factors, including healthcare, education, stability, infrastructure and environment, reports CNN.

Vienna, which has occupied the top position several times over the years, was closely followed by Denmark's capital Copenhagen, which retained its second-place position.

Melbourne and Sydney took third and fourth place, respectively, after the two Australian cities had dropped down the list in recent years.

The three Canadian cities of Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto also landed a spot in the top 10, while Switzerland received two top 10 entries, with Zurich taking sixth place and Geneva tying for seventh place with Calgary.

Osaka, which saw a small boost in its culture and environment ratings due to the withdrawal of Covid-related restrictions, rounds out the top 10.

Meanwhile, some European destinations suffered the biggest drops this year, CNN reported.

London and Stockholm both found themselves falling down the rankings, with the former dropping 12 places to 46th and the latter dropping 22 spots to 43rd position.

After entering the liveability survey for the first time in 2022 at No. 35, Scotland's capital Edinburgh fell to 58th place this year.

Algeria's Algiers, Libya's Tripoli and Syria's Damascus were ranked the three least liveable cities in the world.

The Ukrainian capital of Kiev, which was missing from the 2022 list due to Russia's invasion in February 2022, fell down the list this year as a direct result of the impact of the war and is now ranked among the 10 least liveable cities in the world.

"The removal of Covid-related restrictions has overall boded well for global liveability in 2023," CNN quoted Upasana Dutt, Head of Liveability Index at EIU, as saying in a statement.

"Education has emerged stronger with children returning to schools alongside a significantly reduced burden on hospitals and healthcare systems, with some notable improvements in cities across developing economies of Asia and the Middle East.

"As the world's political and economic axis continues to shift eastwards, we expect the cities in these regions to move slowly up our liveability rankings," she added.