After tumbling down the liveability rankings during government-imposed COVID-19 lockdowns, Sydney and Melbourne have bounced back in 2023.
According to the latest EIU Global Liveability Index, Melbourne ranked number three in the world for livability, with Sydney coming in fourth.
Perth was one of the biggest movers on the list, jumping 21 places to number 12 in the world.
Adelaide also improved significantly on last year, up 19 places to number 12.
The report said Melbourne and Sydney moved up to fill spots claimed last year by western European cities such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
“The Australian cities, which bounced up and down the rankings during the pandemic, are now in third and fourth place,” the report said.
It said that the healthcare rankings of the Australian cities improved, which gave a significant boost to their rankings.
New Zealand also saw a sharp turnaround after falling down the rankings on the back of some of the harshest COVID-19 policies in the world.
Auckland surged 25 places this year and now ranks number 10 in the world for liveability.
Wellington was the biggest mover in the rankings, jumping 35 places to number 23.
Vienna, in Austria, topped the rankings for 2023, owing to its winning combination of stability, good culture and entertainment, reliable infrastructure, and exemplary education and health services.
It has occupied this position regularly over the past several years, with only COVI19 lockdowns causing the city to vacate its place at the top spot.
Second place went to Copenhagen in Denmark, while Vancouver was fifth.
Other cities that made the top 10 include Zurich, Calgary, Geneva, Toronto and Osaka.
The report said a shift back towards normality after COVID-19 and incremental improvements in liveability, made by many developing countries, have been the biggest drivers of changes in the rankings.
“With covid restrictions diminished, the 2023 survey (conducted between February 13 and March 12) shows a noticeable improvement across the world,” the report said.
“The average index score across all 172 cities (excluding Kiev) in our survey has now reached 76.2 out of 100, up from 73.2 a year ago.
“This is the highest score in 15 years for the original comparable list of 140 cities.”
The report said healthcare scores had improved the most, with smaller gains for education, culture and environment, and infrastructure.
“Only stability has seen a small decline, reflecting increasing perceptions of corruption and civil unrest in many cities amid a cost-of-living crisis, as well as an uptick in crime in some cities,” the report said.
