Bucharest ranked 99th best city in the world live in, Vienna takes number one

Vienna, the capital of Austria, has once again topped the list of the world's best cities to live in, according to the Global Liveability Index 2023 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Bucharest, ranked 99th, joined the top 100 best cities to live in after climbing 20 places.

Vienna took the first place due to its stability, quality culture and entertainment, reliable infrastructure, exemplary education, and healthcare services. “It has occupied this position regularly over the past several years, with only the Covid-19 pandemic causing the city to vacate its place at the top spot,” the report states.

Copenhagen also maintains its position as the second most livable city in the world, while the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne have entered the top five.

The report, cited by Economedia, analyzed 172 cities. The index reached a 15-year high last year as the world recovered from the pandemic, according to EIU. The average score of the index is now 76.2 out of 100, up from 73.2 a year ago.

The top 10 cities to live in are, in order, Vienna, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, Zurich, Calgary, Geneva, Toronto, Osaka, and Auckland, the last two tied.

The ranking also mentions Bucharest, which appears at position 99 after climbing 20 places this year.

“The two largest non-Asian cities to see the biggest rises are the capital of Romania, Bucharest, and Stuttgart in Germany, which have improved their healthcare category after the removal of the last Covid-related restrictions,” the Economist Intelligence Unit report states.

According to EIU, cities in the Asia-Pacific region have seen some of the biggest increases in this year's ranking, accounting for eight of the top 10 as they reel from the pandemic.

In particular, Wellington in New Zealand climbed 35 positions to reach 23rd place, while Auckland climbed 25 positions to reach 10th place on the index after experiencing declines last year when Covid-19 forced intermittent closures. Hong Kong also climbed 13 places in the ranking, reaching 61st place among the world's most livable cities.

Civil unrest has impacted the stability of many cities in the last years, combined with the cost-of-living crisis and increasing crime rates in some cities. Worker strikes also lowered the score of cities in Western Europe. The war-torn city of Damascus in Syria continues to be the lowest-ranked city in the survey, at 173rd place, with no improvement in its livability scores. The war in Ukraine has unsurprisingly affected the livability of many European cities, including the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.