Concept of Liveability
- Liveability can be defined as:
'The level to which a place provides a suitable or good space to live in’
- It is usually measured by factors such as safety, cultural, environmental and social quality, access to community facilities, shops and services and levels of freedom as perceived by residents, workers, customers and visitors to the area
Factors Used by People
Factor | Example |
Safety and health related issues | Personal security, public health, traffic safety |
Local environmental conditions | Cleanliness, noise, dust, air and water quality |
Quality of social interactions | Community identity and pride, neighbourliness |
Opportunities for recreation and entertainment | Leisure centres, cinemas, restaurants |
Aesthetics | Easy to navigate, inviting, beauty, appealing, accessible |
Existence of unique cultural environmental characteristics | Historic structures, mature trees, traditional architectural styles, streetscapes |
- The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes an annual Global Liveability Index which quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle and quality of life in 173 cities
- The Index is based on 5 broad categories:
- Stability
- Healthcare
- Culture and environment
- Education
- Infrastructure
In 2022, lessened covid-19 restrictions and the Ukraine Crisis contributed to shifting trends in the most liveable cities and overall standards of living. Higher scoring cities are in regions where vaccination rates are higher, and cities with lower quality of life assessments are where war is prevalent. The Economist Intelligence Unit 2023
- Every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors
- Each factor is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable
- Scores are weighted and then given a total score out of 100
Top and Bottom Two Ranked Cities of 2019 and 2022
Top and Bottom Ranked City | 2019 | 2022 |
1 | Vienna, Austria | Vienna, Austria |
2 | Melbourne, Australia | Copenhagen, Denmark |
139/171* | Lagos, Nigeria | Lagos, Nigeria |
140/172* | Damascus, Syria | Damascus, Syria |
*In 2019 the Index only covered 140 cities
- The liveability of a place has a direct impact on the people who live, work, or visit the area
- Popular areas to live and work in (high liveability), property values and business activity tends to be higher, as people compete to locate there
- Neighbourhoods perceived to have low levels of liveability generally have cheaper housing because people are less likely to choose it as a place in which to live