Canada’s remarkable position in global liveability rankings is highlighted in the newly released Global Liveability Index 2023 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a division of the Economist Group. With three Canadian cities ranking in the top 10, Canada surpasses other countries as the best destination for an unmatched quality of life. Learn why these three Canadian cities are regarded as the best places to live in the world by exploring the top three most livable cities.
Vancouver ranked fifth, Calgary tied for seventh place with Geneva, Switzerland, and Toronto ranked ninth in the most recent Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index. Three Canadian cities were singled out for special attention for their outstanding results. Notably, in the EIU’s comprehensive liveability analysis, all of these cities scored higher than 96 out of 100.
All ten cities remained in the top 10, with just slight changes, when comparing the current rankings to those from the prior year. The biggest shift was in Calgary, which dropped from third to ninth position. After a minor shift from eighth to ninth place between 2022 and 2023, Toronto lost its fifth-place position to Vancouver.
For a detailed exploration of this year’s top ten most liveable cities and an in-depth understanding of the EIU’s methodology for determining these rankings, read on.
Best Canadian cities for living in the world
In the most recent Global Liveability Index, Vienna came out on top with an outstanding total liveability score of 98.4. Copenhagen and Melbourne, two cities with notable livability credentials, trailed closely after.
The narrow two-point gap in overall liveability scores between the top-ranked city and the tenth is noteworthy and highlights how fiercely contested the rankings are. Furthermore, it’s important to note that there are actually 11 cities in the top 10, with ties for seventh and tenth positions. This dynamic gives the competitive landscape of global liveability an exciting new dimension.
Together with Canada’s noteworthy representation, Switzerland and Australia stand out among the top 10 most livable cities, having secured two spots apiece. Cities in Switzerland and Australia, particularly Melbourne, attracted a lot of interest. Auckland and Osaka shared the tenth position, giving the list a more international feel. Osaka’s presence is also notable because of its unique status as the only representative from outside of North America, Europe, and the Australia-New Zealand region. Explore in-depth information to learn how cities from various regions affect the state of liveability around the world.
Three best Canadian cities for living in the world – Vancouver
Vancouver was ranked first in Canada and sixth globally in the most recent liveability rankings, indicating a strong performance.
Examining the entire score breakdown reveals the city’s noteworthy qualities, culminating in an overall liveability score of 97.3. Vancouver continuously performed exceptionally well in important areas, scoring a perfect 100 in the education and healthcare sectors. With a score of 97.2, the city also performed exceptionally well in the categories of culture and ecology. Vancouver also scored highly in terms of infrastructure (96.4) and stability (95), however both categories were significantly lower.
Calgary
Calgary regularly does well in liveability surveys, even though it is not as well-known as popular Canadian immigration destinations like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Since the 2022 report, Calgary has remained in the top 10, thanks to its outstanding score of 96.8.
The city has attained flawless scores of 100 in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, education, and stability, demonstrating its remarkable attributes. However, a relatively poor performance in culture and environment (87.3) had a minor impact on its total liveability score. Notably, Calgary is the only city—aside from Vienna at the top—to obtain perfect scores of 100 in each of the four rating categories. These results point to a favorable trend in Calgary’s liveability characteristics and the possibility that the city will continue to be named Canada’s most liveable city.
Toronto
Toronto, which has the ninth-highest population in Canada this year, is only 0.3 points less than Calgary with an overall liveability score of 96.5. Interestingly, there are differences that may be seen when these scores are broken down.
Toronto demonstrated exceptional ability, receiving perfect ratings of 100 in the areas of healthcare, education, and stability. The city received a 94.4 for environment and culture, but an 89.3 for infrastructure due to difficulties. Although Toronto’s infrastructure ranking may be influenced by Canada’s larger housing problems, this criterion also takes into account aspects that set Toronto apart from Calgary and Vancouver in terms of its consequences. Examining the subtle differences in greater detail reveals the unique elements impacting Toronto’s ranking in the liveability index.
Criteria for assessing cities in the research study on liveability
Cities undergo assessment based on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure, as mentioned earlier. Detailed explanations of each criterion are provided below:
Stability was subjected to a more detailed analysis, as outlined below:
- Occurrence of minor criminal incidents.
- Occurrence of violent criminal incidents.
- Vulnerability to terrorist threats.
- Vulnerability to military conflicts.
- Vulnerability to civil unrest or conflict.
Canadian towns have routinely received high marks for stability and safety criteria in earlier evaluations. Toronto and Calgary both scored flawless, while Vancouver came in slightly lower at 95.
The healthcare metrics were further analyzed in detail, examining:
- Availability of over-the-counter medications.
- Standard of private healthcare services.
- Presence of private healthcare services.
- Accessibility of public healthcare services.
- General indicators of healthcare.
- Standard of public healthcare services.
Canadian cities have consistently performed well in this area, which might be attributed to the nation’s generally excellent and easily accessible healthcare system, which welcomes temporary inhabitants. In addition, all Canadians have access to public healthcare.
Culture and environment can be more thoroughly examined through the following breakdown:
- Analysis of humidity and temperature conditions.
- Assessment of climate discomfort for travelers.
- Measurement of corruption levels.
- Examination of social or religious restrictions.
- Evaluation of censorship levels.
- Availability of sporting facilities.
- Presence of cultural amenities.
- Variety in food and beverage choices.
- Accessibility of consumer goods and services.
Among all the criteria taken into consideration, culture and environment is the only one in which no city made it into the top 10, even though it is the category with the widest diversity of features. With scores of 94.4 and 97.2, respectively, Toronto and Vancouver fared well; Calgary, on the other hand, was disappointed with 87.3, the only category in which the city failed to reach a perfect 100.
Additional information about the education metrics was provided as follows:
- Availability of private educational alternatives.
- Quality of private education.
- Public education indicators.
Around the world, education was a strong category, and every Canadian city not only made the top ten but also received perfect ratings of 100 in this area.
There are the following types of infrastructure indicators:
- Standard of public transportation.
- Standard of telecommunications.
- Availability of high-quality housing.
- Standard of water supply.
- Standard of road infrastructure.
- Standard of energy supply.
- Standard of international connectivity.
The infrastructure survey, which sparked a lot of controversy because it included “availability of good housing,” showed that the top three Canadian cities performed differently. Vancouver had a strong 96.4, and Alberta received an exceptional flawless score of 100. Toronto, on the other hand, saw a sharp drop in this category, scoring 89.3, which played a major role in the city’s fall to ninth place this year.
