Seoul City Ranked 11th in World's Most Livable Cities by Monocle Paper... First Time in Top Rankings

First Entry into Rankings Since Monocle's 2009 Global Livability Index Launch
1st Copenhagen, 2nd Zurich, 5th Tokyo, 14th Berlin, 20th Los Angeles
Second Among Megacities with Over 10 Million Population After Tokyo

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul was ranked 11th in the ‘2021 Most Livable Cities’ selected by the global current affairs monthly magazine Monocle.

According to Seoul City on the 12th, Monocle excluded evaluation criteria that were unsuitable for the COVID-19 situation from the previously used assessment items in this survey, selecting cities that preserved quality of life during the pandemic and are prepared for recovery after returning to normal life.

Monocle, a magazine highly regarded by opinion leaders worldwide for its exploration of urban lifestyles, publishes an annual ranking of the world’s most livable cities in its July-August special issue on Quality of Life. Since the rankings began in 2009, Seoul entered the rankings for the first time this year at 11th place.

Seoul, ranked 11th, was evaluated as a city with high accessibility and a variety of pleasures despite its large urban scale. In particular, Monocle highly praised Seoul’s affordable and user-friendly public transportation. Additionally, various neighborhoods such as Hongdae, Hyehwa, and Itaewon, where residents can enjoy everyday pleasures, were cited as strengths of Seoul.

In terms of COVID-19 response, Seoul received positive evaluations for preventing widespread virus transmission through quarantine measures and contact tracing despite its high population density. Monocle also pointed out that Seoul citizens’ respect for public safety by properly wearing masks and maintaining social distancing was a key factor in the success of the quarantine efforts.

In this survey, the world’s most livable cities were ranked as follows: 1st Copenhagen, 2nd Zurich, 3rd Helsinki, 4th Stockholm, 5th Tokyo, 9th Taipei, 12th Vancouver, 14th Berlin, and 20th Los Angeles. Among large cities with populations around 10 million, only Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles made it into the top 20, highlighting the significance of Seoul’s advancement.

Han Young-hee, Director of Citizen Communication Planning at Seoul City, said, “We will continue to promote Seoul’s excellent policies globally to ensure that Seoul maintains a high reputation worldwide in terms of quality of life and urban competitiveness evaluations.”