These Canadian and European cities are the most liveable in the world

The latest Global Liveability Index, released in August 2022 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranked the best and worst cities to live in the world.

The index scored 172 cities in five categories: culture, health care, education, infrastructure, and entertainment.

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European and Canadian cities dominated the list of Most Liveable Cities in 2022 thanks to factors like stability and good infrastructure. Here are the top 10 best cities to live in:

Vienna, in Austria, was ranked as the best place to live in the world because of its good infrastructure, good healthcare and various alternatives for culture and entertainment. It also ranked #1 in 2018 and 2019.

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Scandinavian cities are known for their great life quality, having free education and healthcare and low crime rates. Furthermore, Copenhagen particularly has a vibrant art and food scene.

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Cities in Switzerland tend to rank high among quality of life lists thanks to their well-developed social market economy. Zurich is also extremely well-connected through public transport and it’s a very safe city. However, the cost of living is one of the highest in Europe.

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Calgary has high ratings in safety, healthcare and environmental quality, and even though it endures very cold winters, it is one of the sunniest places in Canada.

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Vancouver, on the other hand, has a milder climate than Calgary but is actually less sunny and very rainy. However, it is safe, clean, and has a flourishing and diverse economy and multicultural environment.

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Besides having a lot of nature around it, Geneva has really good education and a ton of leisure activity options. However, as it happens with Zurich, the cost of living is pretty high.

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Frankfurt has high ratings in travel connectivity, safety and healthcare. But it particularly stands out for its business freedom, which looks at the ability to start, close and operate a business, among other factors.

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Toronto is internationally known as a center of finance and business, as well as for the film and television industry. It’s also a great place for entrepreneurs, as it ranks 10/10 in the startup index.

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Amsterdam is one of the most bike-friendly cities on the planet. It is also one of the best cities in Europe for entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it has great cultural diversity and well-developed infrastructure.

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Osaka is an extremely safe city to live in, rating 10/10 in that category. It also has very high ratings in housing, business freedom and healthcare.

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This year, Melbourne and Osaka tied in 10^th place. Melbourne stands out for its free business environment and good healthcare. It also has high ratings in startups, safety and environmental quality. Furthermore, it has a multicultural art and food scene.

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Even though the US didn’t make it to the top 10, the most liveable city in the US in 2022 was Atlanta, Georgia, ranking 26 on the list. Not far behind is Washington, D.C. on the 30^th position.

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The global liveability index also ranked the worst cities in the world to live in. What they all seem to have in common are serious social and political issues, and safety concerns.

Damascus, in Syria, is the oldest capital in the world and a major cultural center for the Arab world. However, what makes Syria the worst place to live in is the ongoing violent civil war.

Lagos, the cultural capital of Nigeria, made the list because, according to the U.S. Department of State, it is known for crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping and maritime crime.

Tripoli, the capital of Libya, made the list because of its civil war. Even though it ended in 2020, violence hasn’t come to an end. Far from it, there are growing fears of a new civil war.

The capital of Algeria made it to  the list of the worst cities to live in  because of increasing terrorist activity due to the presence of Islamist groups. Furthermore, there’s a lack of basic services and high unemployment.

Ethnopolitical, sectarian, militant, and criminal violence plagues Pakistan’s largest city and commercial center Karachi. A failure of the major political parties to agree to a solution threatens to destabilize all of Pakistan.

Following conflict and election-related violence in Papua New Guinea, more than 15,000 were internally displaced. This also led to a disruption of education and a lack of basic services.

Social, ethnic, and religious conflicts are latent in Bangladesh, and it reflects in its capital’s daily life. Furthermore, Bangladesh is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, and most at risk from climate change.

With a very violent political culture, security forces have committed human rights’ violations that have not been addressed. Other human rights concerns include a severe water and sanitation crisis, forced evictions, and child marriages.   

Douala is a coastal city in southwest Cameroon and the country’s economic capital. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 4,000 civilians have been killed by both government forces and armed separatist fighters since 2016 in the midst of an armed conflict that seeks independence for Anglophone regions.

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Since a dictatorial regime took over Iran in 1979, its capital, Teheran, is not the flourishing city it once was. Human rights abuses have been committed by the government ever since, and have  just been getting worse after the ongoing social protests that started in August 2022.