The province of Bologna won the top spot in Il Sole 24 Ore's annual qualify-of-life ranking, which the financial daily released this morning.

It is the fifth time in 33 years that the province in Emilia Romagna has come first after it climbed five positions with respect to its 2021 placing. Bologna had also won in 2000, 2004, 2011 and 2020.

This year’s edition understandably also gives ample space to the repercussions on the territory of the major shocks that occurred during the year: war in Ukraine, high energy prices and inflation.

The survey is based on 90 indicators divided into six major areas to measure many aspects of well-being – Wealth and consumption; Environment and Services; Business and work; Demography, society and health; Justice and Security; Culture and leisure – with some innovations compared to previous years. Among them, two indicators on inflation, various indicators on the use of renewable energies and the index of electoral participation in politics of September 25, 2022. All indicators are certified, provided to the Sole 24 ore by official sources, institutions and research institutes.

In Bologna, there is no shortage of innovation, as confirmed by the city’s progress towards big data and the inauguration at the end of November of Leonardo, the fourth most powerful supercomputer in the world. Bologna also excels in “Demography, health and society” (1st in Italy), particularly in terms of education with a record number of graduates aged 25 to 39, in this city which hosts the oldest University of the Western World, the Alma Mater Studiorum, founded in 1088.

Bologna is also first for its electoral participation (73.9%), second for its low Neet’s name (those young people who neither study nor work), and also second for the activity rate of its active population (74.8%).
Bologna also stands out for its wealth, positioning itself each year among the top 10 provinces for the growth of its GDP. In this city where a third of the businesses are artisanal, the manufacturing industry is worth more than a quarter of the GDP.

Analyzing some results at the regional level, Emilia-Romagna shows a good positioning: next to the primacy of Bologna, the ranking sees Parma in 9th place, Reggio Emilia in 13th, Modena in 17th, Piacenza in 24th, Ravenna in 30th, Forlì-Cesena in 34th, Rimini in 46th and Ferrara in 51st. 

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