Singapore rated 10th in most liveable cities in Asia-Pacific, where do Indian cities rank?

Singapore has once again found a place in the top ten cities in the latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking of the most liveable cities in the world. The Southeast Asian city, which was recently picked up as the “best business environment” (EIU) and “freest economy in the world” (The Heritage Foundation), is ranked in tenth place among Asia-Pacific cities.

EIU liveability index 2023 recorded the highest global average score in 15 years, indicating a full recovery of living conditions in cities worldwide following the coronavirus pandemic which disrupted lives and impacted lifestyles, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

The index shows that cities in the Asia-Pacific region have rebounded the most. Eight of the top ten upward movers come from the region. Wellington in New Zealand rose 35 spots to take 23rd place, while Auckland rose 25 places to land at number 10. Vietnam's Hanoi raced 20 places to 129, and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur jumped 19 positions.

The Austrian capital Vienna was named the most liveable city in the world by the index. Copenhagen was ranked second while Melbourne is third. Sydney is further. Vancouver and Zurich are ranked fifth and sixth respectively. Both Calgary and Geneva are sharing the seventh position while Toronto takes ninth place. Osaka and Auckland are in tenth place.

Where do Indian cities rank?

The index ranked New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore among the 45-50th positions among Asia-Pacific cities. In the Asia-Pacific region, the three least desirable cities to live in are Karachi, Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) and Dhaka. In the global rank, they are in positions 169, 168, and 167 respectively.

According to EIU, Damascus is the least livable city in the world, a position it has held for over ten years. Tripoli ranks 172nd, with a score almost ten points higher than that of Syria's war-ravaged capital.

“The shift towards normality after the pandemic has overall boded well for global liveability in 2023. 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,” Upasana Dutt, head of the liveability index at EIU, said in a statement.