As per the Global Liveability Index of 2024, five Indian cities figured on the list comprising 173 across the world. Indian megacities Delhi and Mumbai tied for 141st place with a score of 60.2 out of 100. They were followed by Chennai (59.9), Ahmedabad (58.9), and Bengaluru (58.7). What are indicators for livability The list was topped by Vienna for yet another year. The index measures cities on five broad indicators such as stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. As per the Economic Intelligence Unit’s suggestions, if a city’s livability score is between 50 to 60 then “livability is substantially constrained”. Less than 50 means most aspects of living are severely restricted. Least Liveable cities on the index The least liveable cities were in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa regions. Damascus and Tripoli ranked the lowest. Tel Aviv also witnessed significant drop due to war with Hamas.

In 2022, Zimbabwe was ranked as the most miserable country in the world with a misery index score of 414.7. Venezuela ranked second with an index score of 330.8.

Quality of life around the world The misery index was created by the economist Arthur Okun in the 1960s. The index is calculated by adding the unemployment rate, the lending rate and the inflation rate minus percent change of GDP per capita.

Another famous tool used for the comparison of development of countries around the world is the Human Development Index, which takes into account such factors as life expectancy at birth, literacy rate, education level and gross national income (GNI) per capita.

Better economic conditions correlate with higher quality of life

Economic conditions affect the life expectancy, which is much higher in the wealthiest regions. With a life expectancy of 85 years, Japan led the ranking of countries with the highest life expectancy in 2020. On the other hand, Lesotho was the country with the lowest life expectancy, where men were expected to live 50 years as of 2022.

The Global Liveability Index ranks the quality of life in cities around the world, basing on political, social, economic and environmental aspects, such as personal safety and health, education and transport services and other public services. In 2022, Vienna was ranked as the city with the highest quality of life worldwide.