Moscow strengthens positions in Numbeo rankings: the city is seen safer and more environmentally friendly
Moscow again improved its positions in the city rankings by Numbeo, which are compiled as a result of online voting by users around the world. As shown in the rankings, over the past year, Moscow has begun to be perceived better in terms of safety, environment and health care, said the Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Department for Economic Policy and Development Kirill Purtov.
“Moscow demonstrates a positive dynamic in several Numbeo rankings. For example, from 2015 to 2021, the capital moved up by 137 lines in the Crime Index, and by 111 lines in the Pollution Index. Numbeo indexes are constantly updated by users and filled with actual data based on their personal experience of living in a city. Twice a year, the values of the indexes are fixed to compare cities according to the most important parameters of the level and quality of life,” the Minister said.
Over the year, the Russian capital climbed 36 lines in the Crime Index, raising from 230th to 266th position (the first place in the ranking is occupied by the most unsafe city). According to users, Moscow is safer than Paris, London, New York, Toronto, Berlin, Barcelona and other 259 cities around the world. Moscow was rated highly within the majority of indicators: the city has a particularly low risk of being robbed or being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion. Doha, Abu Dhabi and Taipei were named the safest cities in 2021.
In the Pollution Index, Moscow improved its position by seven places, moving from 164th to 171st line (the first place is occupied by the most polluted city). Portal users rated Moscow's environmental situation higher than in a number of other megacities such as New York, Seoul, London and Paris. Moscow received the highest scores for drinking water quality and accessibility, the cleanliness of the city, as well as the quality of green areas and parks. The Index assesses the overall pollution of a city, while a highest weight is assigned to air pollution. In both editions of the 2021 index, Wellington, Helsinki and Stavanger (Norway) entered the top three. In 2021, Moscow entered the top 30 world capitals with the lowest concentration of PM2.5 particles in the atmosphere.
“Moscow also moved up seven lines in the Health Care Index - from 191st to 184th place. The Index assesses the quality of services provided in the healthcare sector, including the skill and competency of medical staff, level of equipment for modern diagnosis and treatment. In this Index, Moscow bypassed more than 90 cities: New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Manila, Rome and others. The survey participants highlighted the speed in completing examination and reports, the availability of modern equipment for diagnosing and treating patients, satisfaction with the cost of services, as well as the convenience medical institutions’ locations. The first places in the ranking were taken by the Taipei and Kaohsiung cities of Taiwan, as well as the Australian Gold Coast,” said Maxim Ivanov, Director General of the Moscow Analytical Center.
Moscow Analytical Center noted that Numbeo, among other things, is known for its Cost of Living Index, helping employers and people planning to relocate to determine the price level in a particular city in the world. The basic needs of residents are taken into account: food prices, the cost of transportation services, rent or purchase of the house and other parameters. In this ranking, Moscow has moved from 326th to 397th line in one year (-71 positions). The first place in the ranking is occupied by the city with the highest cost of living. Living in Moscow is cheaper than in most megacities - New York, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore and other large cities.
Founded in Serbia over 10 years ago, today Numbeo publishes seven rankings based on user input. According to the Moscow Analytical Center, the Numbeo database for 500 cities is used to compile various integral city ratings, for example, IESE Cities in Motion and Mori Global Power City Index.
