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Singapore has risen six places in The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) rankings of most liveable cities, coming in at number 34.

In 2019 — the last time the rankings were published — Singapore had been ranked as the 40th most pleasant place to live in the world.

This year's report has New Zealand's Auckland in the top spot, followed by Osaka, Japan.

Wellington, Tokyo, four Australian cities, and two Swiss cities made up the rest of the top ten.

"The cities that have risen to the top of the rankings this year are largely the ones that have taken stringent measures to contain the pandemic," said Upasana Dutt, the EIU's Head of Global Liveability in a press release.

"The tough lockdown and tight border controls imposed by Asia-Pacific countries such as New Zealand and Australia allowed their societies to re-open earlier and enabled residents to enjoy a lifestyle that looked similar to pre-pandemic life."

Liveability falls globally

However, the pandemic has ultimately caused liveability to decline and saw unprecedented reshuffling of the rankings, read the EIU's press release.

European and Canadian cities faired particularly poorly, with Vienna — 2019's highest ranked city — tumbling to 12th.

Most of the previous ten least liveable cities remained in the bottom ten this year.

This includes the city of Damascus, where the Syrian civil war continues to take a toll.

The EIU's Global Liveability Index is calculated by assessing a city's stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education system, and infrastructure.

Top image from Hu Chen via Unsplash