The World’s 7 Most Liveable Cities

The Economist Intelligence Unit released its ranking of the world’s most liveable cities on Aug. 14. The study compared 140 destinations to find those with the best and worst living conditions. You won’t find a U.S. destination in the top seven, but you will find several spectacular cities to add to your travel bucket list. © Emicristea | dreamstime.com

Two cities tied for seventh place — Tokyo and Toronto. Both ranked highly for everything they offer visitors and residents alike. Tokyo was recognized for its low crime rates and upgraded transport, while Toronto received perfect scores for its stability, healthcare and education. © Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com

At No. 6, Vancouver is one of three Canadian destinations to crack the top seven. It fell a bit from its previous rankings, but the city still touts high happiness levels, beautiful natural scenery, a diverse culture, a flourishing food scene and plenty of green space. © Volodymyr Kyrylyuk | dreamstime.com

Next is Sydney, Australia, which rose from 11th place last year to fifth this year, partly due to its increased stability and safety over the last several months. You can see a similar trend across many regions, as terrorism threat scores have stabilized in many cities. © Rudi1976 | Dreamstime.com

Calgary, Canada, takes fourth place, with perfect scores for stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure. The city was only found lacking in culture and environment, where it scored lower than all the other cities on this list. © Hai Diec | Dreamstime.com

Japan ranks again, with Osaka in third place. The jump from 14th place last year is again credited to the city’s decreased crime rate and upgraded public transportation. The main thing separating Osaka from Tokyo? Low availability of high-quality housing in the latter. © Tawatchai Prakobkit | dreamstime.com

Melbourne, Australia, is No. 2, falling from its previous top spot. The city ranked perfectly for healthcare, education and infrastructure, but fell short when it came to stability and culture and environment. Some Australian publications blame the change on unaffordable housing, crime among young people and poorly managed urban sprawl. © Think Design Manage Services Ltd. Think Design Manage | Dreamstime.com

Lastly, as the most liveable city in the world, Vienna takes the crown. The honor is a first for Austria’s capital and comes largely thanks to increases in the stability category. The city’s other perks include affordable public transportation, plenty of green space and a low crime rate. © Sorin Colac | Dreamstime.com