(Paris) Vienna regains first place in the ranking of the most pleasant cities in the world, as in 2018 and 2019, according to a ranking published Thursday from which Kyiv, faced with the Russian onslaught, is excluded, while Moscow plummets. Montreal takes the 23e square.
Posted at 7:11 p.m.
The Austrian capital is placed for the third time at the top of this index produced by the “Economist Intelligence Unit”, the research and analysis unit affiliated with the English weekly. The Economist. It succeeds the New Zealand city of Auckland, which lost 33 places due to the extension of sanitary confinements.
Experts have rewarded Vienna’s stability, its educational and medical offer, as well as the quality of its infrastructure with the maximum score of 100 out of 100. The cultural and environmental factors there are almost ideal.
Europe largely dominates the top 10 with six cities, including Copenhagen and Zurich, which complete the podium behind Vienna, and Geneva (6e). Canada is well represented with three cities: Calgary (3e tied), Vancouver (5e) and Toronto (8e).
Paris is displayed at 19e rank, 23 places higher than in 2021. The Belgian capital Brussels appears at the 24e place, just behind Montreal (23e). London finishes 33e while Barcelona, known to be very lively, finished 35eeight places ahead of Madrid (43e).
Elsewhere in the world, Milan ranks 49eNew York 51e and Beijing 71e.
To be part of this panel, the city must be considered as a “business destination”, i.e. an economic and financial center, or be requested by customers. Beirut, seriously affected by the explosion of a port in 2020 and capital of a Lebanon in the grip of strong political instability, does not appear there.
The authors indicate that Kyiv had to be excluded from the report in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow (80e) plummets fifteen places.
“Eastern European cities have slipped in the rankings due to increased geopolitical risks” and “the cost of living crisis, including soaring energy and food prices” , explained the head of the report to the EIU Upasana Dutt.
New indicators such as health restrictions had been introduced in the 2021 index, to assess the effects of the pandemic. The average quality of life has thus rebounded in 2022, it remains however below the pre-COVID-19 level.
Damascus remains the least welcoming city in the world.