January 18, 2024
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s ranking among the world’s most livable cities for East Asian overseas workers improved in 2023 compared with a year earlier, though it remains significantly lower than its level of 10 years ago, a global manpower services provider said in a report on Wednesday.
Benefiting from the removal of COVID-19-induced restrictions in early 2023, Hong Kong’s ranking among more than 500 places around the globe jumped 15 spots from 92nd in 2022 to 77th last year, tying with Taipei and placing behind Singapore, four major Japanese cities and Busan in South Korea in Asia, according to ECA International’s latest findings.
However, since its 17th placing in 2013, the city has fallen 60 places, which can be attributed to factors such as higher air pollution than other more-livable locations, natural disasters and social events, the report said.
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“The intrinsic risk of disruption caused by typhoons, relatively high levels of pollution and difficulties in obtaining suitable accommodation are factors which count against Hong Kong compared to locations such as Singapore,” said Mark Harrison, the consultancy firm’s general manager for Asia.
“However, Hong Kong still has excellent facilities, infrastructure, recreational options and low crime rates, and remains an attractive location relative to many other places in the region.”
Harrison said he expects the momentum of livability improvement in Hong Kong to continue well into this year.
The lifting of pandemic-related curbs also contributed to the enhancement of Chinese mainland cities’ livability.
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The improvement in areas such as transport infrastructure and international schooling has made multiple cities on the mainland more livable for expatriates, with the rankings of cities like Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Xi’an in Shaanxi province, and Wuhan in Hubei province having all risen by more than 10 places over the past decade.
The annual study, which was conducted in the second half of 2023 and based on factors such as availability of health services, climate and personal safety, has ranked Singapore in first place for the past 10 years, with low crime rates among its attractions.
Tokyo in Japan rose to second place from ninth in 2013 in the rankings, tying with Wellington in New Zealand and Adelaide in Australia, as “10 years ago, people in Tokyo were still living with the aftereffects of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011”, Harrison said.
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ECA International’s report ranked Busan in South Korea 49th, up 32 places from a decade ago, in the most “dramatic” shift. The company attributed Busan’s rise in the rankings to “small but significant improvements in healthcare facilities, recreational options, and the quality of utilities”.
Outside of Asia, Eindhoven in the Netherlands was reported as the most livable European city for expats in 2023, while Vancouver in Canada held the top spot in North America.