Down Under dominance!
In a year ravaged by—
We all know how that story goes, but thanks to the tough international border restrictions which have enabled most of the country to resume some semblance of normality for sustained periods of time (compared to other cities around the world), Australian cities have faired quite well in The Economist’s annual The Global Liveability Index.
Upasana Dutt from The Economist Intelligence Unit said in a statement, “The cities that have risen to the top of the rankings this year are largely the ones that have taken stringent measures to contain the pandemic.”
Adelaide blazed its way to the podium to come in at #3, scoring perfect 100s in both Education and Healthcare, to sit pretty behind Auckland, New Zealand (#1) and Osaka, Japan (#2).
The most isolated capital city in the world, Perth, slotted in at #6, followed by Melbourne which, despite forever being in lockdown, edged into joint #8 with Geneva, Switzerland. And finally, Brisbane rounded out the top ten to cement Australia as the place to be if you can get in.
But, what about Sydney? we don’t hear you ask. Well, it came in at #11. Seems like they’ve still got some work to do.
The Index, which ranks 140 cities around the world, takes into account more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors spanning five categories: stability (25%), healthcare (20%), culture and environment (25%), education (10%), and infrastructure (20%).
Top Ten
1) Auckland, New Zealand
2) Osaka, Japan
3) Adelaide, Australia
4) Wellington, New Zealand
5) Tokyo, Japan
6) Perth, Australia
7) Zurich, Switzerland
8) Geneva, Switzerland [tied]
8) Melbourne, Australia [tied]
10) Brisbane, Australia
Vienna, Austria—the city that has taken the crown from 2018-2020—slipped down the ladder to position #12.