Melbourne Nearly Reclaims Title as World’s ‘Most Liveable City’

People walk and ride along the beach at Brighton in Melbourne, Australia, on May 13, 2020. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

The Australian city of Melbourne has nearly reclaimed its title as the world’s most liveable city after jumping up seven places to third on the 2023 EIU Global Liveability Index.

Sydney was just behind Melbourne, coming in fourth on the index.

Australian cities Perth and Adelaide rose almost 20 places to equal 12th, while Brisbane came in with a solid ranking of 16th.

Meanwhile, Vienna claimed the top rank as the world’s most liveable city, with Copenhagen coming in second.

The Upper Belvedere palace in the centre of Vienna, Austria, and its reflection in the water fountain. The building is composed of a long range of 29 bays, articulated as 7 octagonal pavilions with ornamented pilasters and window surrounds. These pavilions are in a typical 18th-century French design, which can be seen in the Tuileries Gardens (Paris) or at the Versailles Palace. (SCstock/Shutterstock)

“[Vienna] retained its crown this year, thanks to its unsurpassed combination of stability, good infrastructure, strong education and healthcare services, and plenty of culture and entertainment,” according to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Similar scores across the 5 categories—stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure—helped Denmark’s Copenhagen retain second place, while Melbourne and Sydney moved up to claim spots previously held by European cities Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

“Asia-Pacific cities have made some of the biggest gains, accounting for eight of the top ten movers up the rankings as economies recovered from the pandemic,” according to EIU.

“Western European cities have slipped down the rankings amid a rise in workers’ strikes and civil unrest. However, the region still accounts for four of the top ten.”

Removal of Pandemic Measure Fared Well For Global Liveability

According to Upasana Dutt, the head of the EIU, the removal of COVID-19-related restrictions bodes well for overall global liveability in 2023.

Steve Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute and a China expert, previously told The Epoch Times in April that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had convinced the world that lockdowns were “the magic key to stopping the spread of COVID.”

A worker looks past a fence in a compound during a COVID-19 lockdown in the Jing'an district of Shanghai on May 25, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

“I think [the CCP] had an interest in convincing the world that it was dangerous because they were going to suffer an economic slowdown from the Coronavirus,” Mosher said.

“Communist Party leaders do not like to admit they made a mistake, [Chinese leader Xi Jinping] finally did a few months ago, ending the lockdowns… but it took almost three years.”

Mosher added that lockdowns sent the “wrong message.”

“It served the Communist Party’s interest, but it did not help the United States or the rest of the world,” he said.

In reference to the global liveability index, a return to normalcy had lifted standards across the world, with the average index score reaching 76.2 out of 100 for more than 170 cities. The average index score was 73.2 in 2022.

“Education has emerged stronger with children returning to schools alongside a significantly reduced burden on hospitals and healthcare systems, with some notable improvements in cities across developing economies of Asia and the Middle East,” Dutt said.

“Only stability has seen a marginal decline, reflecting instances of civil unrest in many cities amid a cost-of-living crisis, as well as an uptick in crime in some cities.”

The EIU added that European cities are taking longer to recover from the pandemic compared to Asia-Pacific cities, with London, Edinburgh, and Stockholm dropping in their ranking.

“None of these cities has seen a particularly sharp decline in their index scores, but they have failed to make the gains that many other cities—particularly those in Asia—have made in the past year,” the EIU report reads.

Mayor Says Ranking is Something Melburnians ‘Should Feel Proud Of’

The Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, Sally Capp, said Melburnians should celebrate the city’s global liveability ranking, despite claiming the wooden spoon for the longest time in lockdown.

“[I’m feeling] Jubilant, and feeling very proud of a community that shows that despite being the city with the most days in lockdown—we are back,” Capp told 3AW.

“I think it’s really a triumph that the people of Melbourne should feel so proud of.

“We continue to shine here within the Australian context, and even over the last 12 years or so, we’ve stayed in the top 10—unlike any other city.”

Melbourne only eclipsed Sydney in the categories of Culture and Environment, scoring 95.8 compared to 94.4.

Melbourne has historically been known as the “cultural capital of Australia,” housing some of the best galleries, museums, sporting facilities, and theatres.

“We can never be complacent so we’ll be looking carefully at those results and seeing how we can improve,” Capp said.

Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews gave special mention to Melbourne’s ranking index on June 22 during a press conference at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

“Melbourne’s back, Victoria’s back. When you think about major events, food, wine, and medical research,” he said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media at the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, on May 18, 2023. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

“In every field, whether it’s critical thinking, discovery, all those creative industries, great experiences, Melbourne and Victoria, there’s nowhere else like it.

“And it’s great to see that reflected in those world rankings.”

Andrews also took a swipe at other states, particularly South Australia, for promoting lower taxes compared to Victoria.

South Australia plans to launch a campaign to lure investment away from Victoria, using its low-taxing state as a selling point.

“I won’t take up the obvious opportunity to talk about other states in our nation. Some of whom have had a lot to say about luring business; good luck with that,” he said.

“This is the centre of so many things that are important, and this is in every respect the real capital of our nation.”

Andrews has recently faced criticism after the state’s 2023-24 budget revealed its debt will skyrocket to $171 billion by 2026-27, with Australians outside of Victoria footing some of the state’s debt.