Overview
Back in 2021, Auckland was ranked the most liveable city in the world. In 2023, it's the most liveable city in Aotearoa — yet again. The Economist Intelligence Unit compiles an annual Global Liveability Index, with the New Zealand spot coming in equal tenth in the latest list. Sharing that place? Osaka in Japan.
2023 was an impressive year for cities Down Under, with Australia's Melbourne and Sydney ranking third and fourth. Only Canada had more places in the top ten in 2023 than the country across the ditch, with three, while Switzerland also scored two.
When Auckland was dethroned from the top spot in 2022, Vienna in Austria emerged victorious, after first earning the honours from 2018–20. It's now at the head of the list again in 2023, followed by Copenhagen in Denmark in second place.
The full top ten features Vienna at number one; then Copenhagen, Melbourne and Sydney; plus that big Canada and Switzerland block — Vancouver in fifth, Zurich in sixth, Calgary and Geneva sharing seventh, and Toronto in ninth place — and then Auckland and Osaka sharing tenth.
Auckland's placing sees the city rise up 25 places from 2022, while Wellington also shot up 35 spots to sit in 23rd.
Asia Pacific cities were big movers overall, which the report credits to "a shift towards normalcy after the pandemic". Also rising: five Aussie locales, including Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane, all of which made the top 20; and Hanoi in Vietnam, which moved up 20 spots.
As for why Vienna came out on top once more, "the city continues to offer an unsurpassed combination of stability, good infrastructure, strong education and healthcare services, and plenty of culture and entertainment, with one of its few downsides being a relative lack of major sporting events," advised the report.
"The same is true of Copenhagen, another frequent high performer that has kept its position in second place from last year."
The annual index ranks cities on stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment, giving each city a rating out of 100. Vienna achieved a score of 98.4 overall, with Auckland receiving 96.0.
At the other end of the list, Damascus in Syria scored 30.7, ranking in 173rd spot.
To read the full Global 2023 Liveability Index, head to the Economist Intelligence Unit's website.