Vienna once again wins the title of most pleasant city in the world, with the city of Tel Aviv showing the greatest decline due to the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas, according to an annual report published Thursday. Zurich and Geneva are in the top 10.
Already at the top in 2018 and 2019, the Austrian capital, with its green spaces, its great cultural offering and its quality services, took back the top spot in 2022 in this ranking produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research and analysis unit affiliated with the British weekly.
It is followed in the top ten by Copenhagen in Denmark, Swiss cities (Zurich, Geneva), Australian (Melbourne, Sydney), Canadian (Calgary) and even Japanese (Osaka).
Paris moves up slightly, ranking 21st, tied with Berlin, while New York is virtually standing still (70th). Moscow ranks 98th.
While the quality of life has improved on average across the world, “this improvement is marginal due to geopolitical conflicts, social unrest and a housing crisis,” the study notes.
Damascus last
In the Middle East, Tel Aviv plunged twenty places (112th) following the unprecedented bloody attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas in southern Israel. In response, the Israeli army launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine keeps kyiv in the depths of the ranking (165th), while the Syrian city of Damascus, devastated by thirteen years of civil war, remains the least welcoming city in the world.
Europe has seen its stability affected by the multiplication of demonstrations ‘in various areas’, against the rise of the far right, the EU’s agricultural policy or immigration, notes the EIU.
The study covers 173 cities, evaluated on the basis of thirty criteria in the following areas: stability, health system, culture and environment, education, infrastructure.
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