The annual ratings are out from The Economist Magazine on the best places to live in the world. Three of them are in Canada and Toronto ranks fourth. The Economist says Vancouver is just ahead of Toronto and Calgary just behind. The rating takes into account 30 factors including health care, culture, the environment, education and infrastructure.
Usually the most liveable cities are of medium size with a low population density and often found in wealthier countries. Researchers at the Economist say this can lead to a range of recreational activities without high crime or an overburdened infrastructure.
The magazine also notes that eight of the top ten scoring cities are in Australia and Canada. Melbourne, Australia topped the list of 140 cities for the fourth year in a row with Vienna, Austria coming in second. No U.S. cities made the top ten list. Dhaka, Bangladesh was found to be the least liveable city.
The authors also say that human rights violations and conflict are the main reasons for pulling down a city's score. Damascus and Kiev are two examples. The magazine says it's not just the conflict itself that affects the ranking, but leads to other defining factors such as infrastructure, availability of goods and services and recreational activities and overburdened hospitals.
In a separate poll taken earlier this year, Toronto also ranked fourth, but as one of the most attractive cities to live in.
