If you love the slower Canberra lifestyle, you’re not alone. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
It’s bragging rights for Canberra, after the city topped an international ranking for residents’ quality of life.
Economic advisory firm Oxford Economics prepares the Global Cities Index 2026 each year.
It compares the 1000 largest cities in the world across five metrics: economy, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.
For the second year running, Canberra has topped the quality of life category, beating out Bergen in Norway and Singapore.
For Canberra Business Chamber CEO Greg Hartford, the ranking wasn’t a surprise — even if it might be for people around the country who were quick to call the ACT capital “boring”.
“Canberra is a great place to live — there are a lot of great things about our city and we should be proud of it,” he told Region.
“It’s [the ranking] certainly something that we should be proud of … Anyone who lives here knows it’s a great place to live.”
Canberra’s high-paying jobs and low income inequality mean it topped the international list for quality of life.
Oxford Economics’ report attributed those factors to the “abundance” of government jobs in town. (Sydney ranked 17th for quality of life, while Melbourne came in at 54, Perth at 38 and Brisbane 75th.)
Harry Murphy Cruise, Oxford Economics Australia’s head of economic research and global trade, told Region that Canberrans should be proud of the outcome.
“What Canberra does well, it does exceptionally well,” he said.
Oxford Economics ranked Canberra 13th in the governance category, 211th in economics and 140th in human capital.
“[The city] is highly geared towards the public sector and related service industries,” the report’s authors found.
“Sectoral diversity is consequently low, but given the permanency of the government sector, this does not translate into economic instability.”
But the Bush Capital’s bushfire risk means the environment is described as the “main weakness”, and comes just weeks after the Territory’s warmest winter on record.
Oxford Economics also lists lower economic diversity, a smaller GDP and larger temperature shifts (compared with other cities on the list) as weaknesses facing Canberra.
Mr Murphy Cruise said this meant Canberra was 45th on the overall list because of a “trade-off” between the different categories.
He said the ACT would need to be proactive to retain its ranking amid impacts from longer-term challenges, such as inflation and global conflicts.
“Like a lot of capital cities around the world, it was made to be a capital. There’s a lot of eggs in the government basket,” he said.
“From an economic perspective, we’re not the most dynamic city around.”
After the report’s release, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he welcomed the ranking.
“From our highly educated workforce and world-class institutions to excellent healthcare, strong incomes and vibrant cultural attractions, Canberra continues to set the standard for liveability,” Mr Barr wrote on social media.
“This recognition reflects what Canberrans already know: our city is one of the very best places in the world to live, work and raise a family.”
