(CNN) --
Are you considering a big change this year?
Perhaps it is worth taking a look at Canada or Western Europe.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has just released the annual ranking of the world's most liveable cities, and the 2022 Global Liveability Index shows some notable differences from the previous year.
The EIU, sister organization of The Economist, ranked 173 cities around the world based on various factors, such as health care, crime rates, political stability, infrastructure and access to green spaces.
big winners
Overall, Europe dominated the list, with six places in the top 11 (there was a tie for 10th place).
Copenhagen, declared by CNN Travel as the European capital of fashion in December 2021, was ranked second in the Global Livability Index.
Switzerland was the only country in Europe to have two entries in the top 10, with Geneva in sixth position and Zurich in third.
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The world's most liveable cities in 2022: The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Livability Index ranks Melbourne, Australia (pictured) in a tie for 10th place.
Click to see the rest of the list.
Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
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#10.
Osaka, Japan: The only Asian city in the top 10 this year was Osaka, which tied for 10th place.
Credit: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images
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#9.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: The capital of the Netherlands scored highly for access to green space and healthcare.
Credit: Remko De Waal/AFP/Getty Images
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#8.
Toronto, Canada: The Great White North has done well this year, with three cities in the top 10. Credit: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto/Getty Images
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#7.
Frankfurt, Germany: Global financial and transportation connections have made Frankfurt a winning city this year.
Credit: Sebastian Gollnow/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
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#6.
Geneva, Switzerland: Switzerland's second largest city is home to the Red Cross, as well as numerous parks, lakes and open spaces.
Credit: Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images
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#5.
Vancouver, Canada: Western Canada's largest city is known for its thriving food scene.
Credit: Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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#4.
Calgary, Canada: Alberta's largest city is famous for the Stampede each summer.
Credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Getty Images
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#3.
Zurich, Switzerland: Known for its banking history, Zurich is also an underrated European food city.
Credit: Piotr Piwowarski/NurPhoto/Getty Images
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#two.
Copenhagen, Denmark: The Danish capital scored highly for creativity as it is one of the world's leading centers of design.
Credit: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
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#1.
Vienna, Austria: Vienna is back at number one this year thanks to its careful approach to reopening after the pandemic.
Credit: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
However, the overall winning country was Canada.
The Great White North earned three spots on the list: Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.
"Cities that were at the top of the ranking before the pandemic have recovered thanks to their stability, good infrastructure and services, as well as pleasant leisure activities," the authors of the index wrote.
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big drops
Last year's winner, the New Zealand city of Auckland, dropped out of the top 10 in 2022 to a surprising 34th place.
Its neighbor Australia has been the one that has dropped the most in the ranking this year.
Despite topping the list in the past, Melbourne slipped to 10th place in 2022.
In 2021, Australia dominated the EIU index, with Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth joining Melbourne in the top 10. This year, they are ranked 27th, 30th and 32nd respectively.
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, was ranked fourth in 2021, but this year it has also dropped out of the top 10 places.
Although Europe performed very well in 2022, there are two notable entries missing: London and Paris.
The rising cost of living influenced both metropolises, as did the UK's decision to leave the European Union.
Ongoing global conflicts were the number one factor determining the countries that ranked low on the list.
Damascus, Lagos and Tripoli were rated as the three least liveable cities in the world.
For its part, Kyiv was not part of the analysis this year due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Livability versus cost of living
Earlier this month, global mobility company ECA International released its list of the world's most expensive cities to live in, focusing on expats.
Hong Kong had the dubious honor of taking the top spot, with New York, Geneva, London and Tokyo rounding out the top five.
The only city that appears in both the CEPA and EIU indexes is Geneva.
The ranking of the most expensive cities was determined solely based on economic factors: median rent, gas prices, and the like, unlike the EIU's list, which takes into account a city's cultural attractions, such as museums and concerts, and infrastructure, such as public transport.
2022 Global Livability Index
Vienna, Austria
Copenhagen, Denmark
Zurich, Switzerland
Calgary, Canada
vancouver, canada
Geneva, Switzerland
Frankfurt, Germany
Toronto Canada
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Osaka, Japan and Melbourne, Australia (tie)
more livable cities
