The most liveable cities around the world for 2022

Thinking about relocating this year? You might want to consider Canada or a destination in Western Europe.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has just released its annual list of the world’s most liveable cities for 2022, highlighting notable changes from the previous year in their Global Liveability Index.

The EIU, the research arm of The Economist, evaluated 173 cities globally, considering factors like healthcare quality, crime levels, political stability, infrastructure, and access to parks and green spaces.

Geneva earned a high ranking on the list, aided by the presence of the Red Cross and the European Union, which contributed to its strong performance.

Geneva's high ranking was bolstered by the influential presence of the Red Cross and the European Union. Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images

Top Performers

Europe made a strong showing, claiming six of the top 11 spots on the Global Liveability Index (with a tie for 10th place). Copenhagen, dubbed Europe’s 'capital of cool' by Dinogo Travel in December 2021, secured the second spot.

Switzerland stood out by having two cities in the top 10, with Geneva ranking 6th and Zurich coming in 3rd.

Canada emerged as the top-performing country overall, with three cities—Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto—making the list.

The authors of the index noted, 'Cities that ranked highly before the pandemic have rebounded thanks to their stability, strong infrastructure, excellent services, and a wealth of leisure activities.'

Big Declines

Auckland, last year’s top-ranked city from New Zealand, saw a dramatic fall, dropping out of the top 10 to 34th place in 2022.

Australia experienced the most significant drop in this year's rankings. Despite being a past leader, Melbourne slid to 10th place in 2022.

In 2021, Australia dominated the EIU index with Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth all ranking in the top 10 alongside Melbourne. This year, they dropped significantly, landing at 27th, 30th, and 32nd place respectively.

This year, Osaka stood out as the only Asian city to secure a spot in the top 10.

Osaka was the only Asian city to make it into the top 10 this year. Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, was ranked 4th in 2021 but unfortunately fell out of the top 10 in this year’s list.

While Europe had a strong presence in 2022, two major cities were noticeably absent – London and Paris. Rising living costs and the UK’s departure from the EU contributed to their decline.

Ongoing global conflicts emerged as the primary factor influencing the cities that ranked at the bottom. Damascus, Lagos, and Tripoli were ranked as the world’s least liveable cities.

Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv was not included in this year’s analysis.

Liveability vs. cost of living

Earlier this month, ECA International, a global mobility company, released its list of the world’s most expensive cities for expats to live in.

Hong Kong took the top spot, followed by New York City, Geneva, London, and Tokyo in the top five.

Geneva was the only city to appear on both the ECA and EIU rankings.

The ranking of the most expensive cities was based purely on economic factors such as average rent and gas prices, unlike the EIU list, which considers a city’s cultural offerings, including museums, concerts, and infrastructure like public transportation.