Singapore has moved up several notches in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Ranking, beating long-time rivals Hong Kong in the realm of better living conditions (so the study says). This time last year, we were ranked as the 46th most liveable city in the world, but warm, humid weather and censorship (obviously) were negating factors in our position.
Singapore has since moved up a whopping 11 spots, coming in as the 35th most liveable city in the world, largely thanks to “consistent and impressive educational attainment, which has delivered a perfect score for education”. This year’s placing is the city-state’s highest ever, leaping past Hong Kong in rankings for the first time (yes, we can be pretty competitive with each other). But the margin that separates Hong Kong’s 45th placing — which fell two spots despite an unchanged score — stands at just 1.6 percent with few changes in lifestyle, according to survey editor John Copestake.
The Economist Intelligence Unit liveability rating is measured by five aspects — stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Singapore’s overall rating is at 90.4 which, according to the survey, indicates few — if any — challenges to living standards.
The survey was topped by Melbourne for the seventh time, with Vienna coming in second, and Canadian cities Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary completing the top five. Syria’s Damascus remained bottom of the list as it continues to be plagued by war. The Economist noted that global liveability standards have risen, although marginal, at 0.06 percentage points after a decade of consecutive declines. However, multiple economic crises and the looming threat of terrorism have made the average global liveability score fall from 76.1 percent in 2007 to 74.8 percent today. So don’t get too optimistic.
