Why in the News?
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Liveability Index 2025, evaluating 173 cities worldwide on their quality of life.
About the Global Liveability Index:
- Publisher: It is released annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
- Purpose: It measures the quality of life in 173 cities worldwide, assessing how challenging or comfortable it is to live in each location.
- Usage: The index informs decisions by corporations, governments, and development agencies, particularly for policy planning and expatriate relocation.
- Five Assessment Categories:
-
- Stability (25%): Considers levels of crime, civil unrest, and terrorism threats.
- Healthcare (20%): Evaluates the quality, accessibility, and availability of medical services.
- Culture & Environment (25%): Includes climate, cultural offerings, and environmental conditions.
- Education (10%): Measures access to public and private education and overall quality.
- Infrastructure (20%): Covers transport, roads, housing, and utility services.
- Scoring: Cities are rated from 1 (intolerable) to 100 (ideal) using 30+ qualitative and quantitative indicators.
Key Global Rankings (2025):
- Top Cities:
- Copenhagen (Denmark) ranked 1st, scoring 98/100 with perfect marks in stability, education, and infrastructure.
- Vienna and Zurich tied for 2nd, followed by Melbourne (4th) and Geneva (5th).
- Regional Trends: Western European cities dominated the top 10, thanks to strong healthcare, education, and public transport systems.
- Asia-Pacific Performers: Melbourne, Sydney, Osaka, Auckland, and Adelaide made the top 10, showing continued high liveability.
- Improvements: Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) jumped 13 spots due to gains in education and healthcare.
- Lowest Ranked: Damascus (Syria) remains the least liveable, followed by Tripoli (Libya) and Dhaka (Bangladesh).
- India’s Position: Both Delhi and Mumbai ranked 141st out of 173 cities, reflecting persistent issues in healthcare, infrastructure, air quality, and public safety.
| [UPSC 2017] With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, consider the following statements:
1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all. 2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only. 3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Options: (a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 3 only* (c) 2 and 3 only (d) Neither 1 nor 2 |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
