Rating of the best cities to live.

The 10 best cities to live in according to the Global Liveability Ranking have been named.

30 quantitative and qualitative indicators in five categories were taken into account by experts, according to which they assessed living conditions.

These are: stability, healthcare, culture/environment, education and infrastructure. The ranking looked at 140 cities around the world.

In general, the top ten cities differ little from last year.

Since this rating does not use such a criterion as the cost of living, Global Finance analysts also took the results of other studies - Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2015 and Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2015. They used data from all three ratings and compiled their own ranking of the top ten for city life.

On 10th the place was the capital of Canada Toronto. The city regularly occupies high places in rankings based on indicators such as standard of living, cost of living, business conditions, democracy and food security. This is a city with an actively developing suburb. Despite the fact that Toronto has the second largest North America public transport system, traffic congestion remains a big problem for people who are forced to travel to Toronto every day from the suburbs, and this is over 6 million people.

9th took the place Berlin. Since the fall of the wall dividing the city and the two world political systems, Germany's capital has earned a reputation as a tech hub where startups flock. At the same time, the city has a relatively low cost of living. Berlin is a city with an active nightlife and a high level of tolerance. There is stunning architecture and a lot of green spaces. The quality of life is at a very high level, while the atmosphere of life in Berlin is relaxed and

8th rating line. Quality of life in Munich at the highest level, but the cost of living is also quite high (even by German standards). The city has more than 20 large parks and a population of just over 1.3 million people. Green spaces give Munich a small-town atmosphere, despite the fact that the city is major center. There are no high-rise buildings in the city center, and the public transport system works perfectly. The annual holiday, Oktoberfest, attracts many beer lovers from all over the world to Munich.

7th got the place Tokyo, which notes the "paradoxical mixture of the city's enormous size and the constant feeling of peace and quiet." The city's population is 13.3 million, but all these people live here comfortably. In particular, thanks to the developed public transport system (primarily we are talking about the metro). Public transport is clean, safe and fast. Against the backdrop of rush and bustle, a feeling of calm and purity is preserved, where ancient traditions coexist and harmoniously intertwine modern life. At the same time, the cost of living here is quite high, as are salaries.

New Zealand's largest city Auckland located on 6th line. On par with its Australian competitors, Auckland boasts beautiful bays and beaches that are great for outdoor fun.

5th place - at the Swiss Zurich. Two rivers flow through the city, and there is also a lake here, which creates a feeling of peace and serenity. This is a real center of art: Zurich has more than 50 museums and more than 100 art galleries. Zurich is a clean and well-run city. It scores highly for safety, crime-free, low strike rates and no public transport delays. At the same time, Zurich ranks 4th in the ranking of the most expensive cities.

4th place - Sydney. It has wonderful weather most of the year, lots of green space, beautiful beaches and great food. Sydney - The largest city Australia, 4 million people live here. The cost of living here is very high, but housing costs are still much lower than other major cities - New York, London and Hong Kong.

On 3m another Australian metropolis - Melbourne. 4 million people also live here. The population is multinational and diverse. It's the culinary capital of Australia and there's a ton of variety. national cuisines and cultural traditions.

Canadian Vancouver appeared in the ranking second. The weather here is great most of the time. This is a very green city in which urban development has not been able to disturb the charm and beauty of nature. Thus, 1001 acres of Stanley Park not only limits the growth of the city, but also gives it charm. There are many other entertainment options: museums, night life, restaurants and shopping opportunities. And while the average cost of living is not very high compared to other cities around the world, housing is quite expensive by Canadian standards.

well and the best for life the city of the Earth is recognized Vein. The capital of Austria, with its beautiful architecture, castles, operas and cultural institutions, is one of the favorite destinations for tourists from all over the world. There is a high level of employment and low level crime. The level of healthcare is also high, while housing costs are moderate. If we talk about the public transport system, the fare is only 1 euro per day as part of an annual pass.

Annual ranking of the most comfortable cities in the world to live in. Australian Melbourne was recognized as the most comfortable city in the world to live in; the authors of the study named Damascus the worst for living. As for our capital, Minsk traditionally was not included in the rating.

The quality of urban life index is composed of 30 indicators, which are combined into five control groups that determine living conditions in the cities under study: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, infrastructure. In the final rating, points from 1 to 100 are awarded for each of 30 indicators, where 1 point corresponds to worse conditions life, and 100 points is the best. The total score for each city is also formed on a 100-point scale, where 100 points is the maximum possible result. The current edition of the study presents a comparative analysis of 140 cities around the world.

In 2017, the ranking is led by Melbourne (Australia), which, according to the authors of the study, is the most comfortable city in the world to live in. Vienna (Austria) took second place, and Vancouver (Canada) took third place. The top ten best cities in the world in terms of quality of life are presented in the table and photo gallery below.

TOP 10 best cities to live in the world in 2017

City	Points	Stability	Healthcare	Culture and environment	Education	Infrastructure
Melbourne	97,5			95,1
Vein	97,4			94,4
Vancouver	97,3					92,9
Toronto	97,2			97,2		89,3
Calgary	96,6			89,1		96,4
Adelaide	96,6			94,2		96,4
Perth	95,9			88,7
Auckland	95,7		95,8			92,9
Helsinki	95,6			88,7	91,7	96,4
Hamburg	95,0			93,5	91,7

As a rule, the best cities to live in the world, according to the ranking compilers, are medium-sized urban agglomerations in economically developed countries with low population densities, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand. The comparatively low performance of large metropolitan areas such as London, New York, Paris and Tokyo is due to the high security risks associated with increased level crime and other threats, as well as high load on infrastructure. However, these shortcomings are partly compensated by the higher level wages, wide economic opportunities, rich cultural life and a favorable location.

The worst cities in the world (in descending order of rating) this year are Damascus (Syria), which ranks last due to ongoing civil war in the country, Lagos (Nigeria) and Tripoli (Libya). It should be noted that this year for the second time Kyiv (Ukraine) entered the top ten, whose rating has been declining over the past few years due to political and economic destabilization in the country.

The ten worst cities in the world in terms of quality of life are presented in the photo gallery and table below.

136th place. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Photo: Flickr/UNDP Papua New Guinea



140th place. Damascus, Syria. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

TOP 10 worst cities to live in the world in 2017

City	Points	Stability	Healthcare	Culture and environment	Education	Infrastructure
Kyiv	47,8		54,2	48,6		42,9
Douala	44,0			48,4	33,3	42,9
Harare	42,6		20,8	58,6	66,7	35,7
Karachi	40,9		45,8	38,7	66,7	51,8
Algeria	40,9		45,8	42,6		30,4
Port Moresby	39,6		37,5			39,3
Dhaka	38,7		29,2	43,3	41,7	26,8
Tripoli	36,6		41,7	40,3		41,1
Lagos	36,0		37,5	53,5	33,3	46,4
Damascus	30,2		29,2	43,3	33,3	32,1

Every year, experts evaluate cities around the world on many parameters, such as medicine, level of culture and education, infrastructure, ecology, etc. The following are best cities for life in the world 2016— top 10 rating.

10. Hamburg (95 points)

The list of the best cities to live in 2016 opens with the German Hamburg, which received 95 points out of 100.

In terms of population density, Hamburg is second only to Berlin; the number of city residents is more than 1 million 800 thousand people. Hamburg is known for its museums, the most famous of which is the Hamburg Kunsthalle, as well as its theaters. For lovers of walks, more than 120 parks were built in Hamburg. Additionally, all year round works Botanical Garden, which contains much of the flora of Asia and Europe. Another attraction is the artificial lake Alster, as well as the nearby “health path”. Hamburg is considered the largest of all port cities in Europe, its industry includes oil refineries, shipyards, and factories for processing raw materials supplied from abroad.

9. Helsinki (95.6 points)

Helsinki is the ninth most livable city. It is the capital of Finland and the most Big city in a country with a population of 600 thousand inhabitants. Helsinki is currently experiencing a period of rapid development as people migrate there a large number of people from neighboring provinces. This cozy city, with many small cafes and comfortable hotels. Visitors here are treated with great attention and care.

8. Auckland (95.7 points)

Auckland was included in the top ten best cities to live in 2016. This is the most populous city in New Zealand. More than 1.3 million people live within its borders, which is 32% of the population of the entire country. One of Auckland's main sources of income is attracting foreign students to study, since the city is home to a large number of universities and other educational institutions. People from all over the world come here to study. Often students study in parallel not only in English courses, but also in technological institutes or universities.

7. Perth (95.9 points)

The city of Perth was also recognized as one of the best places to live. It is located in the southwestern part of Australia. The number of residents is about 2 million people, which is about 75% of the total population of the state. Another name is “City of Lights”. This city became famous in 1962 when local residents turned on all the lights en masse while the American spaceship Friendship flew over them. Perth has also become home to such actors as Heath Ledger and Toby Schmitz. The founders and members of such musical groups as Make Them Suffer, Karnivool, Knife Party, Tame Impala came from this city.

6. Adelaide (96.6 points)

On the 6th line is one of the best cities to live in Australia - Adelaide. This large city is located in the state of South Australia and is also its administrative center. It is the fifth most populous city with 1.2 million inhabitants. Many gardens have been built in the center of this city, which has a positive effect on its appearance and ecology. Adelaide was previously known as a religious freedom zone, civil rights, as well as progressive politics. Today the city is better known for its festivals, wines and sporting achievements.

5. Calgary (96.6 points)

Calgary occupies the middle of the ranking of the best cities to live. It's pretty famous city Canada, according to the latest statistics, is inhabited by 1.1 million people. The main business is related to industry, agriculture, as well as tourism. Of all the sports, football and hockey are the most popular. Calgary is located in moderate latitudes, but the weather is largely determined by the altitude above sea level, as well as how close the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, this area can have quite cold winters, but the warm Chinook wind can raise the temperature to +15 degrees Celsius in just a couple of hours. Such changes pose a health hazard to visitors who are not accustomed to this lifestyle. Despite this, Calgary is developing very actively and its suburbs are growing literally by the hour.

4. Toronto (97.2 points)

Toronto is the largest metropolis in Canada and at the same time administrative center Province of Ontario. Almost half of the city's population consists of immigrants from distant countries. For example, about 10% of Toronto's total citizens are from India. The most interesting feature of the city is the active support of the emigrant culture, so assimilation is not as pronounced as in other places with a large number of newcomers. However, Toronto is one of the safest cities in the entire American continent, making it one of the best places to live.

3. Vancouver (97.3 points)

According to the authoritative British publication The Economist, Vancouver has been recognized three times as the world's best city to live. In 2016 he took third place, which is also not bad. Vancouver is on west coast Canada. The city is home to 2.3 million people. The climate is quite mild and warm. Heavy precipitation occurs in spring, autumn and winter, with the exception of dry summers. Interestingly, more than half of Vancouver's citizens do not speak English as their first language, making the city the most linguistically diverse in all of Canada. Vancouver has a highly developed industry, with businesses in programming, biotechnology, and the film industry also gaining momentum. Thanks to the picturesque landscapes and a large number of different attractions, the city is often visited by tourists. Travelers are mainly interested in the gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, mountains, and the forests that surround the city. About a million tourists visit Vancouver every year on cruise ships heading to Alaska.

9. Vienna (97.4 points)

Second place in the ranking of the most favorable cities for living was taken by the capital of Austria - Vienna. The city's population is more than 1.8 million people, and taking into account the suburbs, this figure increases to 2.3 million, which is almost 25% of the total population. Vienna is the center of economic and political life in Austria, the seat of the UN. The city regularly receives high marks in the areas of infrastructure, protection environment, culture and security. Vienna has long been famous for its music festivals. In addition, the real estate market in Vienna is constantly developing, unlike the rest of Europe, which has been in crisis for a long time.

1. Melbourne (97.5 points)

According to The Economist, Melbourne is the best city to live in the world for 2016. It is the second most important and largest city in Australia. The number of its inhabitants is more than four million, including the suburbs. Melbourne is also the cultural and sports capital of the country, as all major events take place here. The city's population is extremely diverse. People from the most different countries peace, but there is no national discord in it. Melbourne's architectural style is modern, with a touch of Victorian. For lovers of fresh air, a large number of parks and gardens have been built in the city, so Melbourne has a good environment.

Every year, analytical organizations conduct an independent ranking of the best countries in the world in terms of living standards. Analysts from the EIU have again compiled a fresh ranking of cities, in which about 140 countries participated. The best cities in the world for living, business and leisure in 2016-2017 were selected from this list.

What indicators were taken into account?

Particular attention was paid to the following criteria:

• Income level of the population
• Culture
• Ecology
• Economic stability
• Infrastructure
• Environment
• Business conditions

The EIU analysts did not take into account only the cost of living. It can be studied on our website. It turns out that large cities are not very suitable for a comfortable life. After all, the TOP 10 did not include such megacities as Tokyo, London and New York. These cities have several major problems (traffic jams, crime rates, and difficulty getting around). public transport), which did not allow them to take a high position. Those countries that are in the first 10 places have good indicators in various sectors: education, infrastructure, ecology, positive population density, public transport.

1. Melbourne, Australia. The most prestigious and comfortable place to live Australian city Melbourne is recognized as having surpassed Sydney in many respects. Read the article about.
2. Vienna, Austria. Despite the fact that this major metropolis Europe, Vienna is considered a comfortable European capital for living and doing business. considered high. However, Austrians earn good wages.
3. Vancouver, Canada. Wide possibilities for leisure activities, beautiful nature(mountains, lakes, rivers are located nearby), stable economy and decent prices.
4. Toronto, Canada. Another Canadian city, Toronto, is coming on Vancouver's tail.
5. Adelaide, Australia.
6. Calgary, Canada. Three Canadian cities were able to take high positions – 3, 4 and 6.
7. Perth, Australia. Three Australian cities managed to take pride of place - 1, 5 and 7.
8. Auckland, New Zealand.
9. Helsinki, Finland. In the world rankings, the Finnish capital is in 9th place. If you look at European indicators, Helsinki ranks second after Vienna. Read the article about to compare the amount of income with the costs of products, services and real estate.
10. Hamburg, Germany.

Read other publications:

The best cities for living and ease of life in 2015-2016. Rating. The best cities in the world for students in 2016. TOP 10.

To find out which country is better, you need to travel a lot or read the Best Countries-2016 rating, which makes it possible to draw conclusions about the merits of individual states based on statistical research.

The model used was developed by BAV Consulting, which specializes in brand strategy. To this project, except for U.S. News & World Report, Wharton School staff from the University of Pennsylvania are also involved. They used 65 different parameters to profile the countries. The initiative, whose goal was to evaluate quality of life, cultural influence, business conditions, etc., covered 60 countries and more than 16 thousand citizens from around the world.

But first, a few words about Norway and the annual UN Human Development Report...

Norway

For the 12th year in a row, the UN has named Norway the best country to live in its report. The best of 188 countries is determined by the Human Development Index, which takes into account aspects such as health, life expectancy, education and income levels. Australia and Switzerland are next in this ranking. Norway has also been ranked as the most prosperous country in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index. Apparently, a significant role in the formation of a positive image of the Norwegian kingdom is played by natural conditions, - a picturesque Norwegian landscape with its mountains and sea fjords.

Germany

According to the results of the joint study 2016 Best Countries, Germany had the highest overall rating. It became the best in all respects, thus ahead of its main competitors - Canada and the UK. The results of the study were announced at the recent World Economic Forum.

Germany's leading position is due to a number of factors, in particular, favorable conditions for entrepreneurial activity, which, in turn, can be explained by the presence of good infrastructure, an adequate level of education and professionalism of the workforce.

Among other categories in which Germany also found itself in a leading position, one can note the category of “strength” (military power and economic growth are taken into account). The United States took fourth place in this ranking. “The United States is flexing its muscles and performing well in the categories of strength and cultural influence,” the editor of U.S. noted in a statement. News and World Report Brian Kelly. - At the same time, there is a relative decline in the level of education. As it turned out, today Canada and the UK are ahead of the United States when it comes to education. Studying in the USA turns out to be not as comfortable as people used to think.”

The quality of life

Despite the fact that Germany took first place in the overall ranking, the title of country with the best quality of life still went to Canada. Respondents named it the best, largely due to the quality of the education system. (Among other things, Canada became number one in another category - “labor market”). To determine quality of life, the level of economic stability, security, income distribution and the performance of the health care system were taken into account. Following Canada in this ranking are Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The largest representation in this category is from European countries, seven of them (Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Great Britain and Luxembourg) were in the top ten, and 12 in the top 20.

Among the countries with the least high standard of living is Iran, followed by Algeria, Ukraine and Egypt. This is mainly due to the unfavorable personal security situation of citizens and the lack of economic opportunities. Iran, along with Pakistan, took the last and penultimate positions in the list of states with good conditions for families and raising children.

Best place for women

According to representatives of US News & World Report, there are no more suitable place for women than Denmark. In addition, Denmark took second place in the list of the best countries for children (the first was another Scandinavian country- Sweden).

Residents of Denmark have to pay the highest taxes, endure long winters, watch the sun set at 4 pm, but, be that as it may, many representatives of the fair sex from other regions envy Danes. According to experts, this state of affairs is due to a well-functioning social security system. Denmark has virtually free education and healthcare. Gender equality is achieved through the most flexible system of severance pay and maternity leave in the EU as a whole, as confirmed by a recent Eurostat study. Its authors called Danish pensioners the happiest in Europe.

The best place to raise a child

When it comes to state support for new parents, Swedish norms and standards are the envy of people in, for example, the United States, where there is no law on paid maternity leave. In Sweden, parents are entitled to 480 days of maternity leave, 60 of these days for the father. The state provides a monthly allowance for the child, moreover, parents have the opportunity to reduce working hours until the child reaches the age of eight, as reported on sweden.se, the official Internet resource of the Kingdom of Sweden.

Many young parents note that such a system is designed to support not only the mother, but also the father of the child. “This seems to suggest that the father should also make his contribution to the upbringing,” says Anna Bradström, mother of two children. - When the children are sick, I can take a day off, and the next day my husband can stay at home. This is extremely important point. Parents in other countries have to think about their children after they have achieved a certain career.”

Best country for citizens

Sweden is the country that cares most about its own citizens, according to a US News study. The death penalty is prohibited in Sweden. It was in Sweden that an official ban on corporal punishment for children was first introduced. In addition to Sweden, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands are at the top of this list. Great Britain took fourth place, and the United States, which calls freedom one of its main values, did not even make it into the top ten.

Environment

Barry Commoner, a scientist and one of the founders of the environmental movement, once noted that “the goal of science is not to conquer nature, but to live in harmony with it.” His statement, which sounded quite radical at the time, is now called by many as their credo. More and more people on the planet share the idea that individual health directly depends on environmental conditions.

Among states that strive to provide a safe environmental environment for their citizens, Sweden ranks first. The following indicators were used to calculate the rating: environmental concern, health consciousness and innovation. The conclusion is that Sweden is perceived in the world as a health-conscious state and a nation that cares about the environment.

These results support data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), whose members praise Sweden for its people breathing clean air and drinking clean water.

In other words, we can conclude that, according to the majority of respondents, in many regions of Europe the state of the environment is at the proper level. 11 European countries are in the top 20 of the US News & World Report green ranking, four of the first six are countries from the northern part of the European continent.

Trips

According to a study by US News & World Report, Brazil - best country for traveling. Largest country on the South American continent it is also the most popular among tourists. Long coastline attracts lovers beach holiday, and the famous carnival in Rio de Janeiro is annually attended by thousands of tourists from all over the world. This public event can also be seen as evidence that music and dance are closely intertwined in Brazilian national culture.

This rating is essentially the sum of such indicators as, for example, friendly attitude towards tourists, climatic conditions or beautiful nature. The factor of the financial well-being of the state is of little significance here. Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal are four southern European countries that are facing serious economic challenges, but still feature in the top 10 best tourist destinations.

Cultural heritage

History, as we know, determines the present and the future. This category assessed historical achievements, cuisine, cultural sites, attractions and a number of other factors. The best when it comes to cultural heritage, became the countries of the “Old World”, with deep cultural and historical roots, namely: Italy, Spain, Greece and France - each of them scored 90 points on a hundred-point scale. Spanish is the second most spoken native language on the planet. The Greeks are the founders of the Olympic Games; and about 7 million people come to Paris every year to look at the Eiffel Tower.

But it is quite surprising that to assess the cultural heritage of Italy, the authors of US News & World Report cite such an argument as the record volume of pasta production (of which Italy produced 2.7 billion kg in 2011 - almost twice as much as anyone else).

It is also noteworthy that the antiquity of history does not mean that a particular country is perceived by others as having a strong cultural influence. For example, Iran's history dates back to the earliest civilizations, but despite this it has a very low rating. The same can be said about Sweden: it was founded around 900, but was not included in the first half of the countries that have significant cultural baggage.

Geographically, here, again, Western Europe has an advantage. Countries with relatively small populations and smaller scales are ahead of Russia and the United States, despite the latter’s considerable contribution to world culture, such as, say, ballet (Pyotr Tchaikovsky) and basketball, the authors of the study summarize.