Global liveability index 2021

In news

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published the Global Liveability Index 2021 recently

Key highlights of the index

• This year, Auckland in New Zealand rose to the top of the index owing to its successful approach in containing the covid-19 pandemic
• Japanese cities of Osaka and Tokyo grabbed second and fourth place on the index
• New Zealand and Australian cities dominated the index  
• According to the EIU survey, six of the top 10 cities are in New Zealand and Australia,
• The overall global average liveability fell by seven points as compared with the pre-pandemic score.
• Honolulu was the biggest mover up the ranking in the past six months, moving 46 places to get the 14th rank on the liveability index.
• It noted a decline in liveability in many European cities as they battled the second Covid-19 wave by closing schools and restaurants, and restructuring cultural and sporting events. 

Worst cities 

According to the report, living conditions remained worst in the Syrian capital Damascus. Other cities scraping along the bottom of the rankings are Lagos, Port Moresby, and Dhaka. The Pakistani city of Karachi also featured in the 10 least liveable cities in the world.

About the Global Liveability Index

• It is an annual assessment published by the London–based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
• The Liveability Index examines 140 cities worldwide to quantify the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in the past year, for the first time taking into account this disrupting global event. 
• Each city is assigned a liveability score for more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five categories: 
  1. Stability.
  2. Healthcare.
  3. Culture an
  4. d environment.
  5. Education and 
  6. Infrastructure.