The Austrian capital, Vienna, has once again become the most livable city in the world, according to an annual report by The Economist.
Vienna snatched first place from New Zealand city of Auckland, which fell to 34th due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit report released on Thursday.
“Vienna, which fell to 12th place in our ranking in early 2021 when its museums and restaurants were closed, has since regained first place, a position it held in 2018 and 2019,” said the report.
“Stability and good infrastructure are the main charms of the city for its inhabitants, supported by good health care and many opportunities for culture and entertainment.”
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was not included this year after Russia invaded the country in late February, while the Russian cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg fell in the ranking for “censorship” and the impact of Western sanctions.
Europe had six of the top 10 cities.
The Austrian capital was followed by the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and Zurich in Switzerland. His fellow Swiss Geneva was sixth, Germany Frankfurt seventh and the Netherlands Amsterdam ninth.
Canada did well too. Calgary finished third overall, followed by Vancouver in fifth and Toronto in eighth.
Osaka of Japan and Melbourne of Australia shared 10th place. The capital of France, Paris, ranked 19th, 23 places higher than last year. The Belgian capital, Brussels, was ranked 24th, just behind Montreal of Canada.
Auckland’s fall in the rankings reflected the changing picture of the coronavirus pandemic over the past year, with vaccination that has allowed many societies to reopen.
Although this year it was degraded by its restrictions on Covid, it was the officials who won first place in 2021, with the Economist saying at the time: “The harsh blockade of New Zealand allowed its society reopened and allowed citizens of cities like Auckland and Wellington to enjoy a pre-pandemic-like lifestyle. “
More forcefully, political journalist Thomas Coughlan commented at the time: “I guess there’s no pandemic here, so it’s technically easier to be alive here than dead somewhere else.”
In this year’s ranking, the capital of the United Kingdom, London, was the 33rd most livable city in the world, while the Spanish Barcelona and Madrid ranked 35th and 43rd, respectively.
The Italian Milan took 49th place, the American city of New York, the 51st, and China Beijing, the 71st.
The Lebanese capital, Beirut, which was devastated by a port explosion in 2020 and is battling a crippling financial crisis, was not included in the ranking of commercial destinations.
Neither was Kyiv, after the Russian invasion on February 24 forced the Economist to abort his survey in the city. The capital of Russia, Moscow, saw its habitability rating fall by 15 places, while St. Petersburg fell by 13 places.
“Increased censorship accompanies the ongoing conflict,” the report notes. “Russian cities are also seeing restrictions on culture and the environment as a result of Western economic sanctions.”
Other Eastern European cities were deemed less stable after the “increase in diplomatic tensions” due to the war in Ukraine.
The war-torn capital of Syria, Damascus, retained its place as the least livable city on the planet.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report