Hong Kong falls 15 places in liveability rankings in 2022

• Covid-19 restrictions and political situation contribute to Hong Kong’s fall to the 92nd most liveable location in the world for workers relocating from elsewhere in East Asia.
• Singapore remains the most liveable city in the world.
• Hong Kong lags behind most major destinations which have attracted talent from the city.

Hong Kong , 8 February 2023 – Hong Kong's liveability ranking has fallen 15 places from last year to 92nd in the world. The decline is largely due to the impact of Covid restrictions in 2022 and changes in political environment. In contrast, other Asian locations have seen improvements in their ranking as restrictions were lifted in the post-pandemic era. The liveability score in Hong Kong is also behind most major destinations such as Taipei, Tokyo, Sydney, London, Vancouver, and San Francisco, which have been destinations for many people who have left the city in 2022. This was one of the conclusions of the latest Location Ratings survey published by global mobility experts, ECA International.

Updated annually in November, ECA's Location Ratings system objectively evaluates a host of factors to form an assessment of the overall quality of living in over 500 locations worldwide. The system helps companies establish appropriate allowances to compensate employees for the adjustment required when going on international assignment. Factors assessed include climate; availability of health services; housing and utilities; natural phenomena; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal safety; political tensions; and air quality. The impact of some of the factors assessed will vary according to the home location of the assignee.

“Hong Kong’s maintenance of measures to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 during 2022 stood in contrast to peers both regionally and globally,” said Lee Quane, Regional Director – Asia at ECA international. “Continued quarantine restrictions, the limitation of access to recreational activities and other social distancing measures persisted throughout 2022 which put Hong Kong in a less favourable position compared with other locations. Furthermore, Hong Kong’s fall was reflective of changes in the political environment witnessed through recent legislative council and elections for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.”

Asia Highlights

Singapore remains the most liveable location in the world for expatriates from East Asia with its liveability score improving compared with last year. Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore were lifted earlier than other major locations in Asia, enabling it to remain in first place in our rankings.

“A location’s position in our rankings is influenced by what happens in that location as well as other locations we research,” advised Quane. “Singapore relaxed social distancing restrictions earlier than other locations, facilitating a return to pre-pandemic norms and contributing to the fact that it retained its position at the top of our rankings and increasing its lead over other places in terms of its liveability relative to other locations.”

Cities in mainland China have all dropped in the rankings due to extensive Covid restrictions and lockdowns. Shanghai remains the highest placed location in China although it fell 11 places to 128th position. Dalian, experienced the largest decrease among all Chinese locations surveyed as its ranking dropped 14 places to 161st position.

“The fall in our rankings of locations from mainland China is due exclusively to the impact of China’s zero-Covid strategy that was maintained throughout most of 2022,” explains Quane. “This is most evident in Shanghai’s fall, as the prolonged lockdowns in the city earlier in the year had a significant impact on the city’s liveability.”

Elsewhere, major cities in the Asia Pacific have seen significant improvements due to the easing of Covid restrictions. Cities in Australia saw major improvements in their liveability scores, while Auckland, New Zealand, was the biggest riser, climbing up 20 places to become the 4th most liveable location in the world.

Global Highlights

From a global perspective, among all the surveyed locations, the locations with the greatest rate of decline in ECA’s ranking were those surveyed in Russia and Ukraine where living conditions in locations in both countries have been impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv was the bigger faller, dropping 62 places to 249th, while Moscow and St. Petersburg fell 42 and 39 places to 223rd and 226th most liveable locations in the world respectively, as the war led to drastically impacted liveability criteria including health, utilities, and goods & services.