Manchester named most liveable city in UK for ninth consecutive year

Manchester has once again earned the title of most liveable city in the UK, according to The Economist’s ‘Global Liveability Index’ published earlier this month. 

The city has held this title every year since The Economist first released it’s ‘Global Liveability Index’ back in 2011. Out of the group of 140 cities, Manchester ranked 38th in the world, whilst London placed at just 48th globally. 

The list takes into consideration factors such as political and social stability, crime rates, education, and access to healthcare. 

Vienna holds the leading position, shortly being followed by Melbourne in second place and Sydney in third. The cities claimed as least liveable in the world were Dhaka in Bangladesh, Lagos in Nigeria, and Damascus in Syria. 

Various business leaders have credited the city’s quality of life for the recent increase in the number of firms that have expanded or relocated to Manchester from the capital. A number of them believe The Economist’s judgement will play a vital role in continuing to encourage other business to follow.

Sheona Southern, the managing director at Marketing Manchester, who work to promote the Greater Manchester area, said: “This ranking recognises Manchester as a great place to live, with a growing cultural scene, vibrant food and drink offering and a thriving night-time economy.” 

“It is clear why growing numbers of people from the UK and across the world are attracted to live, work and study here.” Greater Manchester has one of the highest student populations in the UK, with over 99,000 students currently enrolled in the area’s four main universities as of 2019.

Speaking on the importance of the city’s achievement, Tim Newns, CEO of MIDAS (Greater Manchester’s inward investment agency) said:

“It is this offer, which includes incredibly strong career prospects, high-quality affordable housing and an excellent cultural and entertainment offering, that enables us to continue attracting world-leading companies and talent to Greater Manchester despite economic uncertainty; and that assisted MIDAS in supporting the creation of a record number of jobs – 4,380 – for the city region in the last financial year.”