
For the first time in seven years, Austria’s capital city, previously rated second, ousted the Australian metropolis of Melbourne from its first place position. This can be attributed, amongst other factors, to the fact that the danger of attacks in Western Europe as well as the crime rate in Vienna have declined. In March, a study carried out by the consulting company Mercer also concluded that Vienna boasts the world’s highest quality of life.
In the Economist ranking, Osaka (Japan) came in third ahead of Calgary (Canada), Sydney (Australia) and Vancouver (Canada). The cities of Toronto and Tokyo shared seventh place. 140 large cities are compared using criteria such as infrastructure, education, health care, stability and culture in the regularly published ranking of the Economist Intelligence Unit.