The world's most liveable cities is an informal name given to any list of cities as they rank on an annual survey of living conditions. Regions with cities commonly ranked in the top 50 include New Zealand , North America, Northern Europe, and Western Europe. Three examples of such surveys are Monocle's "Most Liveable Cities Index", the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Global Liveability Ranking", and "Mercer Quality of Living Survey". Numbeo has the largest statistics and survey data based on cities and countries. Liveability rankings may be used by employers assigning hardship allowances as part of job relocation.
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Monocle's Quality of Life Survey
Since 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of liveable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Liveable Cities Index" and presented 25 top locations for quality of life.
Important criteria in this survey are safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, pro-active policy developments and medical care.
The 2015 Monocle Survey determined the world's most liveable city was Tokyo (a total of three Japanese cities were on the list); followed by Vienna and Berlin (a total of three German cities were on the list). The two most populous Australian cities were in the top 5, while no cities in South America, South Asia, or Africa made the list.
The EIU's Global Liveability Ranking
The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) most recent Global Liveability Ranking report shows cities in Australia, Canada, Austria, Finland and New Zealand as the ideal destinations, thanks to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, and an effective infrastructure. It is part of the EIU's "Worldwide Cost of Living" survey. A 2010 opinion piece in The New York Times criticised the Economist Intelligence Unit for being overly anglocentric, stating that "The Economist clearly equates livability with speaking English."
Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking
American global human resources and related financial services consulting firm Mercer annually releases its Mercer Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York City is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability, public transport and access to goods and services. The list is intended to help multinational companies decide where to open offices or plants, and how much to pay employees.