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Singapore most liveable city in the world for 15th year in a row due to ‘less severe’ lockdown measures

SINGAPORE — Singapore has retained its top spot as the most liveable city in the world for East Asian expatriates for the 15th year in a row, while many European cities tumbled down the annual rankings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Lee Quane, ECA International’s regional director of Asia, said that Singapore is top of the liveability rankings because its superior infrastructure, low pollution and large expatriate communities appeal to overseas workers.

Mr Lee Quane, ECA International’s regional director of Asia, said that Singapore is top of the liveability rankings because its superior infrastructure, low pollution and large expatriate communities appeal to overseas workers.

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  • A study showed that Singapore stayed in first place as most liveable city for East Asian expatriates​ 
  • This is because of its infrastructure, low pollution and large expatriate communities
  • Its partial lockdown during the pandemic was also less severe than lockdowns in other locations 
  • Wellington in New Zealand came in second in the rankings, while three cities in Japan tied for third place
  • Nearly every European city in the rankings saw a drop this year, as Covid-19 restrictions dampened liveability scores
     

SINGAPORE — Singapore has retained its top spot as the most liveable city in the world for East Asian expatriates for the 15th year in a row, while many European cities tumbled down the annual rankings during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

These were the latest findings of an annual study by human resource consultancy ECA International, which measures the quality of living conditions in more than 490 locations around the world to arrive at a “fair and consistent” assessment of the level of difficulty an expatriate would experience in adapting to a new location.

This year’s rankings largely reflected the intensity of measures imposed around the world as governments raced to curb the spread of Covid-19, with cities that have had stricter and longer-lasting lockdowns suffering in their liveability ratings.

Mr Lee Quane, ECA International’s regional director of Asia, said: “Singapore is top of the liveability rankings for the 15th year in a row as its superior infrastructure, low pollution and large expatriate communities continue to appeal to overseas workers.

“Moreover, while Singapore imposed a 'circuit breaker' to manage the outbreak of Covid-19 within its borders in 2020, the scale of its lockdown was less severe than other locations in the region.” 

Wellington in New Zealand came in second in the rankings, while three cities in Japan — Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo — tied for third place. 

Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, was the highest-ranking European city on the list at sixth place, tying with Yokohama in Japan and Auckland in New Zealand.

ASIA PACIFIC AND AUSTRALIA

Hong Kong rebounded significantly in rankings to become the 58th most liveable location for East Asian expatriates, from 93rd place last year, when its attractiveness took a hit from the political turmoil on its streets.

Mr Quane said: “Hong Kong has rebounded in our latest liveability rankings after the protests seen throughout 2019 abated last year. Disruptions to the transportation network due to the protests recovered while crime rates fell.

“Moreover, Hong Kong was spared from typhoons of a scale similar to those that caused disruption to the city in 2019.”

In Australia, its cities dropped significantly in the rankings, with Brisbane and Adelaide falling out of the top 10 most liveable places. Sydney fell from third place last year to 21st this year.

Mr Quane said that the liveability of Australian cities were affected by the strict lockdown measures that were introduced in some areas of the country last year to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Other factors for the drops include flights being limited, with only Australian or New Zealand permanent residents allowed to enter the country, and the wildfires that took place across Australia at the start of 2020.

As a result, Taiwanese capital Taipei climbed back into the top 50 most liveable locations.

“Although Taipei’s score has not directly improved from last year, the city moved up to 46th place in the rankings as a result of many other locations, mostly European and Australian cities, moving down the rankings," Mr Quane said. 

“Furthermore, Taiwan has seen relatively low levels of Covid-19 cases as compared to these cities, and has therefore managed to avoid imposing large-scale restrictions on recreational lifestyles that we have seen elsewhere in 2020.”

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

Nearly every European city included in the rankings saw a drop this year, as Covid-19 restrictions dampened liveability scores. Major cities such as Rome and Lisbon fell over 20 places from last year, while Paris dropped out of the top 100 most liveable locations for the first time.

Mr Quane said that this was because Covid-19 measures are especially stringent in European and Latin American countries.

“Although we expect these to be short-term measures, it has nonetheless caused liveability scores to change for most European locations and they have therefore dropped dramatically in the rankings.” 

Cities in the United States, on the other hand, moved up the rankings due to a lack of strict measures, with eight US locations making it to the top 50 most liveable locations and 27 in the top 100.

The Lebanese capital Beirut saw the biggest change in ranking after falling over 40 places, placing the city outside of the top 200 locations.

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Covid-19 ECA International most liveable cities lockdown

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