3 Canadian Cities Ranked Among The Most Liveable In The World & Montreal Didn’t Make The Cut
Montreal failed to make the top 10 but 3 other Canadian spots did.
A photo of the Toronto skyline taking from the Toronto Islands, Right: A photo of the Montreal skyline taken from the Mont-Royal lookout.
Three major Canadian cities managed to secure spots in a new ranking of the top 10 most liveable places in the world. While Montreal has received high praise on similar lists in the past, it did not make the cut this time around.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) dropped its Global Liveability Index 2023, which ordered cities across the globe based on factors like culture, environment, healthcare, and education.
Scores on the 2023 EIU Liveability Index rose from previous years, marking a global shift after the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is the highest score in 15 years for the original comparable list of 140 cities. Healthcare scores have improved the most, with smaller gains for education, culture and environment, and infrastructure," the EIU wrote.
Vancouver took the top spot in Canada. The West Coast city ranked fifth overall with an index score of 97.3 and perfect scores of 100 for healthcare and education. Although Vancouver's score improved by 1.2 points compared to its 2022 rank, its placement has remained the same.
Calgary landed in seventh with an overall index score of 96.8. The city received a score of 100 for each category except culture and environment, where the city scored 87.3.
Toronto landed ninth overall with an index score of 96.5.
Since Montreal is a far more affordable city to live in compared to Vancouver and Toronto, it is surprising that we fell short of the top 10. However, when you take into consideration the plethora of flaws our city faces, our standing makes a lot more sense. Martine St-Victor from the Gazette outlined a number of reasons why Montreal doesn't compete with top cities like Toronto and Calgary from increased gun crime to endless construction and terrible road conditions, it's clear we've got some work to do.
Wondering which other cities managed to secure a top spot? Here's the complete top 10 of the most liveable cities in the world:
- Vienna, Austria (98.4)
- Copenhagen, Denmark (98.0)
- Melbourne, Australia (97.7)
- Syndey, Australia (97.4)
- Vancouver, Canada (97.3)
- Zurich, Switzerland (97.1)
- Calgary, Canada (96.8)
- Geneva, Switzerland (96.8)
- Toronto, Canada (96.5)
- Osaka, Japan (96.0)
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
