It’s true, Hong Kong’s a better place to live than five years ago, report says
Hong Kong appears to have become a better place to live compared to five years ago, an international think tank says in its annual report on 140 cities.
Hong Kong appears to have become a better place to live compared to five years ago, an international think tank says in its annual report on 140 cities.
Worldwide, the city is ranked 31st in the latest "liveability" ratings - up 10 places from 2008, despite the world becoming a less habitable place in general, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said.
However, City University economist Chan Yan-chong sounded a note of caution, pointing out that the report reflected only the opinions of English speakers. Each of the 140 cities rated were given a score out of 100 for each category, based on the judgment of the EIU's in-house analysts and in-city contributors. That meant the rankings relied on the perceptions of the unit's own analysts instead of being survey-based, Chan said.
EIU economist Edward Bell said the ranking "is geared towards the challenges for somebody not from that city to live there; what they would be anticipating and looking forward to if they move there".
He added: "Ratings reflect specific improvements in the quality [of living], or the deterioration in other cities."
The report considered more than 30 factors broadly grouped under stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.