Vancouver is among the world's healthiest and happiest cities, according to a new report.
The study, conducted by Lenstore, analyzed 48 cities around the world to determine which locations give people the best opportunities to live a healthy lifestyle.
From obesity levels to pollution rates, each city has been scored across 10 healthy living metrics: life expectancy; obesity levels; sunshine hours; air and water quality; happiness levels; cost of a bottle of water; average yearly working hours; outdoor activities; the number of takeout places; and cost of a monthly gym. membership.
Eight of the top 10 healthiest locations to live in the world are located in Europe. Three of these are Scandinavian countries – Copenhagen (3rd), Helsinki (6th) and Stockholm (8th) which are all known for their low pollution levels, short working hours, and high happiness levels.
Fukuoka, Japan, ranks ninth in the world. Lenstore notes that the Japanese city has a low obesity level of just 4.3 per cent, which is the second-lowest in the world.
Vancouver just made the healthiest cities list, ranking 18th.
London ranks as the world’s sixth-unhealthiest city, with a staggering 6,925 takeaway restaurants, according to the report. "This is over six times more compared to the healthiest city in the world, Vienna, and over 25 times more than the city with the least, Beijing."
The United States "dominated" the bottom 10, notes Lenscore, with multiple cities facing the highest levels of obesity globally. New York was labelled as the worst.
“Our health has never been more important, and it’s really interesting to see that leading a healthy and happy life can be influenced by your location by such a significant amount," said Roshni Patel from Lenstore.
The shorter working weeks and low pollution levels have proved greatly successful for cities in the north of Europe such as Copenhagen, despite these locations receiving some of the lowest hours of sunshine each year."
Here are the top 20 best cities to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.
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Vienna
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Dubai
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Copenhagen
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Frankfurt
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Amsterdam
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Helsinki
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Berlin
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Stockholm
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Fukuoka
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Geneva
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Madrid
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Zurich
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Melbourne
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Sydney
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Osaka
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Barcelona
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Seoul
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Vancouver
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Tel Aviv
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Cairo
