Where the grass is greener

Cities in Australia and Canada are rated the most livable in the world

With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure, Canada and Australia are home to the most livable destinations in the world. Four of the ten most livable cities surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit are in Australia, and two of the top five are Canadian. Vancouver is the most attractive destination, with a livability index of just 1.3% (see table).

While livability considers factors of recreational and cultural activity, the "big city buzz" can hamper the scores of some cities, although not to the extent that a city will present significant challenges. Global centers such as New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris may find themselves let down precisely because of their size and attractiveness.

Traffic congestion and higher crime rates associated with large urban centers have, to some extent, offset the obvious cultural gains of living in such locations. This has also been compounded by fears that large centers like London and New York will remain targets for high-profile terror attacks. Despite this, most major centers do not present any significant challenges to livability.

Of the 132 cities surveyed, only nine cities present the worst-case scenario in which most aspects of living quality are severely restricted, reflecting general improvements on a global scale in areas such as education, health care and infrastructure. Four of these are in Asia, mainly South Asia. The other five are in Africa (accounting for three) and the Middle East (accounting for two).

The threat of terrorism and civil unrest is a major contributing\nfactor to the cities that suffer from the worst livability scores, as\nare poor development indicators. Algiers is the least livable\ndestination in the survey, with a score of 64.7%.

The threat of terrorism and civil unrest is a major contributing factor to the cities that suffer from the worst livability scores, as are poor development indicators. Algiers is the least livable destination in the survey, with a score of 64.7%.