What city in Europe has the best quality of life, according to his citizens? What city is the cleanest or the safest, or the most inclusive? In which city is easier to find a good job or an affordable house? And where, in Europe, are cities’ residents more satisfied with urban public transport or with air quality?

Answers to these questions – and many others – will be provided by the 2023 report on the quality of life in European cities that will be launched and discussed on 12 December 2023. The report analyses survey data from the sixth edition of the perception survey on the quality of life in European cities, conducted across a sample of 83 European cities in April 2023, for a total of more than 70,000 interviews.

Date and venue

12 December, from 09:30 to 13:00
Charlemagne Building of the European Commission, Lord Jenkins room, rue de la Loi, 170 Brussels and online

Download the final agenda 

Registration

If you would like to participate, either in-person or online, please register here
Registration deadline: 8 December 2023

Background information

Cities are important drivers of economic growth in the EU. It is in cities where most citizens live, where the biggest share of the Gross Domestic Product is generated, where a large part of EU policies and legislation are implemented and where a significant share of EU funds is spent. At the same time, many challenges have a strong impact on cities and it is there that they are best addressed. These challenges can be related to global issues (e.g. unemployment, migration, impacts of disasters exacerbated by climate change, sustainable production and consumption or biodiversity loss, grey and black economy, etc.) but they can also be related to local issues, linked closely to the quality of life of their citizens (e.g. air quality, availability recreational space, traffic and noise levels, water pollution, etc.).

Since 2007, the European Commission monitors regularly, every three years, the quality of life in European cities, through a dedicated survey.  The survey is conducted on a total of 83 European cities. It covers all capital cities of the countries concerned (except for Switzerland), together with between one and six more cities in the larger countries. In 2023, in each city, more than 800 citizens were contacted, for a total of 71 153 completed interviews. The survey exclusively focuses on perceived quality of life, showing how satisfied people are with various aspects of urban life, such as employment opportunities, availability of green and recreational public spaces, public transports or environmental issues (i.e. air quality).

Results from the previous editions of the survey can be found at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/maps/quality-of-life_en and on the EUROSTAT website at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/cities/background