Penang’s capital is eighth most liveable city in Asia, on par with KL and Bangkok

GEORGE TOWN: The state capital has moved up a notch to become the eighth most liveable city in Asia in an international survey involving 254 cities.

The survey, which was carried out by ECA International, now puts George Town on par with Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

In a press release posted on its website www.eca-international.com, the survey also ranks Singapore as Asia’s most liveable city for the 11th consecutive year.

Three cities in Japan – Kobe, Yokohama and Tokyo – occupy the second, third and fourth placings.

Hong Kong is in fifth place, followed by Taipei and Macau.

The rating for the cities was based on an analysis of living standards, including climate, health services, housing and utilities, social network, leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety, political tension and air quality.

ECA International regional director for Asia Lee Quane also said the least liveable cities in Asia were Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan, Pyongyang in North Korea and Kabul in Afghanistan.

George Town also moved up a spot in the ranking for the world’s most liveable cities at 62nd place.

Five Asian cities made it to the top 10 in the global ranking as the best places for Asians to live in – Singapore (1st), Kobe (3rd), Yokohama (4th), Tokyo (5th) and Hong Kong (8th).

ECA International is a membership organisation for international human resources professionals. It serves a global network of over 4,000 human resource professionals in 71 countries.