Toronto Ranked World’s Best City to Live In?

| May 12, 2015

TorontoThe Economist recently revealed something about Toronto that many of us have suspected for a long time: it is the best city in which to live. The result was revealed as part of their Safe Cities Index 2015. Most noteworthy, Toronto was ranked the 8th safest city in the world.

You may be wondering how it can be that ours is the best city in the world if there are 7 others that are deemed safer. In addition, the report includes an index of indexes that tabulates the results of 5 other reports measuring other factors. Interestingly, Toronto was not ranked best in any of the 6 indexes, but our average was the best in the world.

The 6 indexes that make up the overall score are divided between factors measured at a city level and those measured at a country level.

Safe Cities Index

Toronto’s rank: 7

Safest city: Tokyo

The Safe Cities Index examines how safe residents of each city are by measuring 4 categories:

  • Digital security measures the extent to which people can use the Internet and other technologies without fear of privacy violations or identity theft.
  • Health security looks at how the city maintains the physical environment and the level of care that is available to its citizens.
  • Infrastructure safety considers the safety of the city’s buildings and roads and their resilience against disasters.
  • Personal safety factors the public’s security against crime such as violence and theft.

Liveability Index

Toronto’s rank: 4

Most liveable city: Melbourne

The Liveability Index ranks cities by their living conditions from best to worst. It is derived from a survey of 140 cities (as well as other sources of information) covering 5 categories:

  • Stability looks at the prevalence of crime, the threat of terror and also, military conflict or civil unrest.
  • Healthcare factors the availability and quality of private and public healthcare as well as the availability of Nizagara-online.net over-the-counter drugs.
  • Culture & Environment considers climate, level of corruption, social or religious restriction and censorship. Also, the availability of sports, culture and consumer goods and services.
  • Education looks at the availability and quality of private education as well as public education indicators.
  • Infrastructure evaluates the quality of road networks, public transport, international links, telecommunications, energy and water provision, and also the availability of quality housing.

Cost Of Living Index

Toronto’s rank: 70
City with the lowest cost of living: Mumbai
City with the highest cost of living: Singapore

The Cost Of Living Index compares more than 400 prices across 160 products and services in each city, including food, drink, clothing, household supplies, home rents, utilities and recreational costs.

Business Environment Index

Canada’s rank: 4

Best country for business: Singapore
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Business Environment Index measures the quality or attractiveness of each country’s business environment through its Country Forecast reports. Also, the index reflects the criteria commonly used by companies to formulate their business strategies.

Democracy Index

Canada’s rank: 8

Most democratic country: Norway

The Democracy Index looks at the following factors to determine the extent to which each country is democratic:

  • Electoral process
  • Functioning of Government
  • Political Participation
  • Political Culture
  • Civil Liberties

Global Food Security Index

Canada’s rank: 8

Country with the best food security: United States

The Global Food Security Index considers the following factors to determine the overall security of the food supply in both developing and developed countries:

  • Affordability
  • Availability
  • Quality & Safety

In conclusion, that’s how The Economist came to determine that Toronto is the best city in the world to live. Lastly, number 2 on their list is just down the 401: Montreal.

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