The World's Healthiest Cities Ranked

It's common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.

Some cities are hard on their inhabitants. In places with poor city planning—Lagos was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit—public spaces are few and far between, making outdoor activity hard. Lack of infrastructure clogs the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.

These are just some of the factors tallied up by Spotahome, a rental agency. They've analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Factbook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancy, obesity, green space and other elements to work out which are the world's healthiest cities.

The list is certainly Euro-centric but relentless sunshine is seen as a positive factor, even if it may be more of a scorching blight in other regions. But it does go some way towards suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their inhabitants.

It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. Australia and Canada also do well—but alas, the first U.S. city is only in 34th place. The U.K. doesn't fare too well either—its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.

Whether you're planning a wholesome holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better in its quest for happy citizens, this list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the slender, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.