The EIU, i.e., the Economist Intelligence Unit, has recently published its Global Liveability Index score for this year. Among the top ten most liveable cities, there are three Canadian cities which ranked as the most liveable in the world. Well, these cities are Vancouver, Calgary, & Toronto. All these cities scored above 96 out of 100 in total liveability as per the EIU’s index. 

In addition, compared with last year’s rankings, all three cities held their places within the top ten, with certain variations. For instance, Calgary saw the most significant drop-off, moving from third to eighth place this year. 

Moreover, Vancouver retained its position at number five, while Toronto slid one spot from eighth in the last year to ninth this year. So, read on to know all about the three Canadian cities which ranked as the most liveable. 

The Top Ten Most Liveable Cities 

Vienna took the spot this year, with an overall liveability score of 98.4, followed by Copenhagen & Melbourne. 

Interestingly, the difference in the total liveability scores between 10th & 1st-ranked cities was only two points. Moreover, there are around 11 cities in the top 10 rankings due to two ties for 7th & 10th spots. 

Apart from Canada, both Switzerland as well as Australia featured prominently in the top ten most liveable cities, including two cities each. In addition, Osaka also placed in the rankings, tying for tenth place with Auckland as the only outside of North America, Australia-New Zealand region, & Europe to feature on the list. 

  • Vancouver 

Holding Canada’s top spot & positioned at number 5 in the world, Vancouver performed strongly in this year’s rankings. This city scored 97.3 for overall liveability. Here is the breakdown for the same. 

Vancouver scores a 100 on the EIU scale in education & healthcare, maintaining a high rating. In addition, the city also scored well on environment & culture, with a slightly diminished performance in the categories of infrastructure (96.4) & stability (95). 

  • Calgary 

While not traditionally thought of as one of the three Canadian cities for newcomers, Calgary continues to perform exceptionally well in the liveability rankings, retaining a top ten spot from 2022’s report with a score of 96.8.

In addition, the city boasted a perfect 100 score in stability, health, infrastructure, & education. However, the city did not perform well in culture & environment (87.3), thus reducing the total liveability score. According to these results, Calgary continues to show potential to become Canada’s most liveable city. 

  • Toronto 

Toronto is Canada’s most populous city, which occupies ninth place, with a liveability score of 96.5. While this is only 0.3 points away from Calgary’s ranking, here’s the breakdown of scores. 

The city scored a perfect 100 in stability, education, & healthcare, thus having a lower performance in infrastructure (89.3). In addition, Toronto also scored a 94.4 in culture & environment. While the city’s lower ranking in the infrastructure section is understandable regarding housing issues, the criteria features other aspects that can aid in understanding why Calgary & Vancouver were not similarly affected. 

How Are Cities Scored According To This Research? 

In addition to the people living in Canada, cities are scored on characteristics like healthcare, education, stability, infrastructure, environment, etc. Here is the breakdown of each one of them.

Stability was broken down into: 

  • Prevalent of violent crime
  • Prevalence of petty crime
  • Threat of military conflict 
  • Threat of terror
  • Threat of civil unrest

Canadian cities score quite high on safety & stability measures, with Toronto & Calgary scoring a perfect 100 and Vancouver trailing with a 95 rating. 

Healthcare measures were broken down into: 

  • Availability of private healthcare 
  • Quality of public healthcare 
  • Availability of public healthcare 
  • Quality of private healthcare 
  • General healthcare indicators 
  • Availability of over-the-counter drugs 

Canada’s high quality of healthcare & accessibility, along with universally accessible public healthcare for Canadians, implies that the nation’s cities tend to perform strongly here. 

Culture & environment can further be broken down into: 

  • Cultural availability
  • Humidity & temperature rating
  • Level of corruption
  • Level of censorship
  • Discomfort of climate to travelers6
  • Sporting availability
  • Food & drink
  • Consumer goods & services 
  • social/ religious restrictions 

Culture & environment is the largest of all criteria, where none of the cities were featured in the top 10. Both Toronto & Vancouver scored well, while Calgary scored an 87.3 score.  

Education was broken down into: 

  • Availability of private education
  • Public education indicators
  • Quality of private education 

Education was a strong category, not just in Canada but worldwide, with every city in the top ten scoring a perfect 100 in this criterion. 

Infrastructure was broken down into: 

  • Quality of public transport
  • Quality of road network
  • Quality of international links
  • Availability of good quality housing
  • Quality of telecommunications
  • Quality of water provisions  
  • Quality of energy provision 

 

Perhaps the most contentious ranking, infrastructure’s performance varies among the three Canadian cities, which ranked as the most liveable. While Alberta scored a perfect 100, Vancouver ranked with a 96.4 score. Moreover, Toronto saw the biggest score drop off here, with an 89.3.