Overview
- The Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft compared 12 German metropolitan regions using 23 indicators scored from 0 to 100 to produce a composite livability index.
- Ruhrgebiet ranks first, with a polycentric layout that delivers dense public transport, broad cultural and sports offerings, moderate housing costs, and roughly 26 minutes in daily travel-time savings versus the national average, while Rheinland and Rhein-Neckar follow.
- Munich’s metropolitan region places 12th, weighed down by high rents, long suburban trips to services and amenities, and weaker results in culture and leisure as well as transport and supply.
- Nuremberg ranks 11th overall, scoring last in culture and society, sport and leisure, and traffic and supply but performing comparatively well on housing costs.
- IW says livability hinges more on affordable housing, reliable transport and amenity access than GDP, using data from official sources and its own analyses, and notes the research was commissioned by the Regionalverband Ruhr.