The Economist ranks Seoul, Busan high among most livable Asian cities

By Ko Dong-hwan

Seoul and Busan ranked among the top six Asian cities with the best living conditions for people overall, according to the Economist.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) “The Global Liveability Index 2023” put Seoul in fourth and Busan in sixth among Asian countries. The assessment behind the report, released on June 21, was based on categories of stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Alongside the Korean cities in the EIU ranks were Osaka on top followed by Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong in that order.

One of the currently active global city branding evaluations that quantify challenges presented to an individual's lifestyle and quality of life, EIU studied 173 cities worldwide for this year's review. The group has been updating the index annually for over 70 years.

Haeundae Beach in Busan in 2019 / Courtesy of Visit Busan

Busan Metropolitan City was particularly invigorated by the result. Whereas the British ranker gave 70 points to the second-largest Korean city the previous year, the city claimed close to 90 this year. The city government called it a “quantum jump.”

The city on May 25 also received a positive outcome from another city-branding assessment. The global consulting firm Z/Yen based in London assessed the smart center index (SCI) for 77 cities and ranked Busan on top within Korea, third in Asia and 19th in the world.

These global city branding assessments mean a lot, according to the Planning and Coordination Office under the Busan city government, as the outcomes influence how each city might be recognized by the global community and thus affect the city's global competitiveness.

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon had pledged to make the city one of 10 most livable cities in Asia when he was running for reelection last year. After winning, he hoisted the pledge as one of the principal goals for his administration.