Zurich moved up to 7th position from 11th position in the latest Economist Intelligence Unit ranking published on Tuesday, compared with a similar survey from 2019.
Geneva now ranks 8th – up from 14th position – alongside the Australian city of Melbourne.
Six of the top ten cities in the ranking are in New Zealand and Australia, while many European and Canadian cities have fallen down the bi-annual list.
The most liveable city is Auckland in New Zealand, ahead of Osaka (Japan) and Adelaide (Australia), according to The Economist.
The authors of the survey note that the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in lockdowns, restrictions of cultural and sports events, and closures of schools and restaurants, have had a considerable impact on this year’s liveability score.
The top-ranked cities were able to contain the pandemic faster and lift restrictions earlier than other places, the authors said.
Both Zurich and Geneva remained attractive locations despite social restrictions still being in place in March.
The data for the latest survey was collected in February and March this year covering 140 cities across five areas: stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment as well as infrastructure.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
This content was published on
Cities in Switzerland, Canada, Australia and Austria are the most ideal destinations thanks to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk and an effective infrastructure. The EIU’s “Liveability Ranking”, part of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, assessed living conditions in 127 cities around the world. It looked at nearly 40 indicators…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.