7 of the healthiest cities to live in across the world

On World Cities Day, we tell you about some of the best places to live in globally if you want to stay healthy.

The United Nations General Assembly designated October 31 as World Cities Day to promote cooperation among countries in addressing challenges of urbanisation, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. There is no doubt that urbanisation has taken a heavy toll on city dwellers’ health. But some cities fare better than others. Here are some of the healthiest cities to live in across the world:

* Amsterdam: This city ranked first in a study done by rental agency Spotahome, who analysed data from the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Factbook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancy, obesity, and green space. Amsterdam scored the highest in terms of average gym score, less obesity in adults, green spaces and work-life balance.

* Adelaide: Just 1.38% of adults in this Australian city have obesity, and the air and water quality is 8.88%. Apart from Adelaide, cities like Perth, Brisbane and Canberra also made it to the index.

Seville runs a community bicycle programme.

* Seville: The Spanish city has a life expectancy at birth of 82 years. The city runs a successful community bicycle sharing programme as well. And residents are exposed to just 7.1 micrograms of pollution.

* Stockholm: The Swedish city has done a lot of work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution levels. Residents are also exposed to just 7 micrograms of pollutant, which is among the least in the world.

* Munich: The German city has a gym rating of 6.62, obesity rate of just 2.87, and air and water quality of 9.17. It is sometimes dismissively called as ‘toytown’ as it has so little dirt or grime.

* Tokushima: This city in Japan has a country life expectancy of 84 years, one of the longest of any country. It is abundant in flora and fauna, and the infant mortality rate is just 2.7. Other cities in Japan that rank high include Okayama, Kagoshima, and Oita.

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