Dublin has dropped out of the top 10 in an index of the "most liveable" cities in the world due to Covid-related restrictions. The location ratings index from mobility consultants ECA International places Dublin as the 15th most liveable city, marking a decline from last year's ninth position.
“Having grown in popularity as a hub for expats from across the world in recent years, due to its low crime rates, good air quality, culture and infrastructure, [Dublin] has dropped five places due to the impact of Covid-19,” ECA said.
Belfast shares joint-55th position with London, with both dropping eight places. ECA said the liveability of 70 per cent of cities around the world had been affected by “recreational limitations” this year. Limits on freedom of movement also drove down scores. ECA’s rankings are based on factors including the availability of health services, housing and infrastructure.
Copenhagen retains the top spot for European expats, scoring particularly well in categories such as clean air and low crime rate. New York (40th) has overtaken London for the first time.
Transparency International
Separately, Transparency International has called on the Government and opposition parties to make the fight against corruption a political priority. The State has fallen from 18th to 20th position in the organisation's annual Corruption Perceptions Index, with Transparency International finding Ireland is still considered to be affected by corruption to a greater degree than most of its northern European neighbours. Denmark and New Zealand retain the top spots on the index, while Somalia and South Sudan are considered to be the countries most affected by corruption.
The CPI ranks 180 countries based on perceived levels of corruption and Ireland’s score is based on the findings of seven surveys, conducted by international think-tanks and political risk agencies.
"Corruption can be as insidious as any disease and the impact it has around the world on the most vulnerable in society, on healthcare systems and public trust in democratic institutions has been particularly evident over the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of the far-right across Europe and the US has exposed how vulnerable our institutions and democratic norms are to declining trust in government,"said John Devitt, chief executive of Transparency International Ireland.
