Three Canadian cities made the top 10 of the Global Livability Index 2022
Canada is the only country to have three cities in the top ten.
Three Canadian cities have made the top ten in the list of the world’s most livable cities in the Global Livability Index 2022. This year Calgary, Alberta tied with Zurich for third place. It outranked Zurich in education and
infrastructure but fell short in culture and environment. Vienna claimed the top spot overall and Copenhagen took second place. Vancouver placed in the fifth spot and Toronto, Canada’s largest and most populous city, made it into eighth place. This is an increase in ranking over 2021 where COVID-19 pandemic restrictions caused these cities to slip in the rankings. In 2021, Toronto was in the 20th position. Damascus, Tripoli, and Lagos came in last this year due to unsafe living conditions and a high threat of terrorism.
The study is conducted by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU has been analyzing and monitoring the impact of global development on populations and cities for over 70 years. Each year they release a report that ranks livability of cities worldwide, based on several factors such as
stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The 2022 report included 172 cities, an increase of 33 cities over the 2021 report. The overall scores for all cities this year were higher as the general livability around the globe has seen improvement in some areas. As more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, scores in culture
and environment saw a drastic improvement over 2021 and are at nearly pre-pandemic levels. There were also higher scores for healthcare as the pressure caused by the pandemic on global medical systems began to ease. However, the scores for stability have dropped on average Canada seen as safe and stable Canada was the only country with three cities in the top ten, indicating that the standard of living in Canada is generally quite high. Because of this, Canada is often seen as a desirable country for immigrants.
Canada consistently ranks as one of the most stable and tolerant nations in the world. In fact, a recent study by the Canadian Bureau for International Education ranked Canada’s stability as the number one deciding factor for international students.