Covid-19 pandemic affects Lisbon’s liveability index position
Restrictions implemented to curb Covid-19 have lowered the quality of life in European cities. Portuguese capital fell five positions in The Global Liveability Index 2021.
The pandemic led to many changes in European cities, namely the implementation of restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19, which undermined the citizen’s quality of life. Lisbon was no exception, dropping five positions in The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Liveability report.
The Portuguese capital is now ranked 58th in the Global Liveability Index 2021, according to the EIU. Last year, when the Economist Intelligence Unit published the index that assesses the quality of life in 140 cities around the world, Lisbon was ranked 53rd, having risen one place compared to 2018.
In the last report, Lisbon stood out in the culture/environment and education categories. But this year, restrictions on public gatherings “had a major impact on the culture and environment category scores” of the various municipalities, the EIU signals. The average score for this category fell by 14 points compared to the autumn 2019 data.
Most European cities have fallen in this year’s index, penalised by the measures taken as part of the pandemic and the impact of this on some services. The crown of the best city to live in belonged to Vienna since 2018, but the Austrian capital has now fallen to 12th position.
Auckland tops the index in 2021, benefiting from New Zealand’s success in containing the Covid-19 outbreak. The podium is completed by Osaka in Japan and Adelaide in Australia, countries also prominent in controlling the pandemic.
