Manchester has officially been named the 28th most liveable in the world, according to a prestigious annual ranking.
And our city has ranked quite a bit higher than some other heavy-hitters.
The new Global Liveability Index for 2022 – which is published each year by The Economist, and assesses and ranks locations around the world based on whether they provide the best or the worst living conditions for residents – has officially been released today, and it’s revealed that Manchester has taken the 28th spot on the list.
A total of 173 cities across the world have been ranked, and every city is assigned a rating for ‘relative comfort’ for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories – stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable, or intolerable.
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For the qualitative indicators, a rating is awarded based on the judgment of the The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU)’s team of expert analysts and in-city contributors, and for quantitative indicators, a rating is calculated based on the relative performance of a number of external data points, and then, the scores are compiled and weighted to provide a score.
The Global Liveability Index for 2022 has been published, and Manchester has ranked at 28 / Credit: Unsplash (Josh Taylor | Fraser Cottrell)173 cities were ranked on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure / Credit: Thomas Foster (via Unsplash)
When it comes to the range of scoring, cities are given a score between one and 100, where one is considered intolerable, and 100 is considered ideal.
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This year, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how well a city has recovered, has been incorporated into the overall liveability score – with the introduction of new indicators to assess stress and restriction levels for each city.
The liveability rating is provided both as an overall score and as a score for each category.
Manchester’s ranking at number 28 sounds even more impressive when you realise we have beaten out some real European heavy-hitters such as Spain’s cities of Barcelona (35) and Madrid (43), and Italy’s northern gem Milan (49), as well as other global tourist hotspots like the US city of New York at 51, and China’s capital Beijing at 71.
The index rates living conditions in 172 cities based on more than 30 factors, including indicators related to covid. These are grouped into five categories:
🕊 Stability 🏥 Health care 🌳 Culture and environment 📚 Education 🏗 Infrastructure
We’ve even beaten out our country’s own capital city too, with London coming in at number 33 on the 2022 rankings.
But which city has clinched the title as the most liveable city in the world for 2022? And what other cities have featured in the coveted top 10? Well, this year, the Austrian capital of Vienna has reclaimed the crown it wore back in 2018 and 2019 after knocking New Zealand’s Aukland off the top spot.
The Danish capital of Copenhagen has moved up 13 places from last year to take the second spot, and Zurich in Switzerland now shares third place with Calgary in Canada – which has risen from 18th position.
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Fellow Swiss city Geneva came sixth, Germany’s Frankfurt seventh, the Netherlands’ capital of Amsterdam at ninth, and the Australian city of Melbourne took 10th place.
Heaton Park announces death of its two donkeys following ‘complex’ health and age-related issues
Emily Sergeant
Heaton Park has made the devastating announcement that two more of its beloved donkeys have sadly passed away.
“It is with great sadness that today we announce the passing of Bonnie and Josh, our beloved donkeys, following advice of a vet and The Donkey Sanctuary who visited our Animal Centre,” Heaton Park & Hall announced on its official social platforms at the end of last week.
The death of Bonnie and Josh comes after two of the park’s other donkeys, Ralph and Lenny, also sadly passed away in June and October of last year, respectively.
Both donkeys were born at Heaton Park, and had been steady companions for each other over the last three decades.
Heaton Park announces death of its two donkeys following ‘complex’ health and age-related issues / Credit: Heaton Park & Hall
Josh managed to reach 29, and Bonnie an incredible 33 years of age before passing, and considering that The Donkey Sanctuary says the average life expectancy for a donkey is just over 30, reaching this age was said to be a ‘significant achievement’ for all who cared for Bonnie and Josh.
However in their later years though, both Bonnie and Josh were living with ‘complex’ health and age-related issues.
Ultimately, these complications were what led to them passing away last week.
“They were such kind and gentle souls, and this loss will be felt deeply by all staff, past and present, alongside our visitors,” Heaton Park’s statement continued.
Heaton Park staff closed out their statement thanking everyone who has ever visited the donkeys over the past couple of decades, and particularly the Donkey Welfare Advisers at The Donkey Sanctuary who have supported them and their donkey herd, especially in recent years.
40 people arrested as part of ‘week of action’ to close down active drug lines across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
40 people arrested as part of ‘week of action’ organised last week by police to close down active drug lines across Greater Manchester.
Various policing activities took place alongside partners across all districts and boroughs as part of County Lines Intensification Week – which ran from Monday 2 – Sunday 8 March 2026 – with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirming that officers conducted a total of 30 warrants.
Warrants resulted in 40 arrests across Greater Manchester, with 20 active drugs lines closed down, as well as more than £34,000in cash and a substantial amount of class A and class B drugs seized.
Drugs seized included heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, and cannabis.
Mobile phones, weapons – including stun guns, zombie knives, crossbows, and an axe– were also confiscated, and to top it off, electric bikes, designer goods,and high-value electronic deviceswere also recovered during the process too.
40 people arrested as part of a ‘week of action’ to close down active drug lines across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
Some of the arrests made include six men, aged between 20 and 42, on suspicion of production of cannabis and abstracting electricity, and three men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of various drug-related offences.
County Lines Intensification Week ran as part of a national coordinated action targeting county lines offenders, removing dangerous drugs and weapons from our streets, and safeguarding vulnerable adults and children, GMP explained.
If you’re unfamiliar, County Lines is the use of dedicated phone lines to deal drugs from one location to another, and it is known for often exploiting children and vulnerable adults who are groomed and coerced into moving, storing, and selling drugs.
County Lines teams use the ‘four Ps’ as a strategy to tackle organised criminals trafficking drugs and safeguard vulnerable people – Prevent, Protect, Prepare, and Pursue.
More than £34,000 in cash was also seized by police / Credit: GMP
Speaking following the week of action, Detective Inspector John Schofield, from GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit. said: “We have had a very busy and successful County Lines Intensification Week, with various lines disrupted thanks to the warrants we have executed.
“Intelligence gathered from the community played a vital role in us being able to conduct this activity, which saw 30 warrants, resulting in 40arrests and 20 drug lines closed down across Greater Manchester.
“This week’s action is a powerful example of our commitment to dismantle organised crime in our region.
Deputy Mayor of Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, added: “County lines activity brings significant harm to our communities. It fuels the supply of dangerous drugs while exploiting children and vulnerable adults who are often groomed, coerced and threatened into criminal activity.
“That is why tackling this type of organised crime is a key priority for partners across Greater Manchester.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd June 2022 
