The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its latest “Global Livability Ranking” for 2023, with Hong Kong ranking 61st out of 173 cities with a score of 88.1. This is a rise of 13 places from last year, but still lower than its ranking of 35th in 2018. Hong Kong’s main competitor Singapore has surged ahead to rank 34th this year. Meanwhile, Vienna in Austria and Copenhagen in Denmark have taken the top two spots, respectively. Osaka in Japan is the only Asian city in the top ten, alongside Auckland in New Zealand.
The survey covered 173 cities worldwide and was conducted from Feb. 13 to March 12 this year. The scoring was based on five main categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The average score for all cities was 76.2 points, a significant improvement from last year’s outbreak period score of 73.2 points and the highest in 15 years. The report noted that the world has emerged from the shadow of the pandemic and that health care and education scores have improved for many cities in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. However, stability scores declined due to numerous riots worldwide in 2022.
Hong Kong’s livability score is now at 88.1 points, up by 9.4 points from last year; it ranks at 61st place among all cities surveyed this yearThe Traditional Dragon Craft Parade by Islanders of Hong Kong, Has a Significant Underlying Meaning—an improvement of 13 places from last year’s ranking. Singapore’s ranking has also risen by three places to rank 34th this year with a total score of 92.1 points; it also received full marks for education and infrastructure projects.
Manchester (England) ranks 44th on the list of preferred destinations for Hong Kongers seeking to emigrate, followed by London at 46th and Edinburgh at 48th, all ranking higher than Hong Kong.
Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which suffered from the Russian invasion in 2022, was not included in the previous ranking due to the impact of war. However, after being re-evaluated this year, its ranking has dropped to 9th from the bottom due to its infrastructure (23.2 points) being severely damaged and stability (40 points) being affected due to the war.
EIU senior analyst Syetarn Hansakul told CNBC that many regions had lifted their pandemic restrictions early last year. Still, Hong Kong only gradually lifted its “zero-COVID” policy until the end of 2022. Currently, Hong Kong’s significant rise in livability rankings is mainly due to the lifting of pandemic restrictions, which have significantly improved quality of life and livability.
Top ten cities in the Global Livability Ranking: 1. Vienna, Austria 2. Copenhagen, Denmark 3. Melbourne, Australia 4. Sydney, Australia 5. Vancouver, Canada 6. Zurich, Switzerland 7. Calgary, Canada 7. Geneva, Switzerland 9. Toronto, Canada 10. Auckland, New Zealand 10. Osaka, Japan
