Ease of Living Index
The Ease of Living Index is a composite urban quality-of-life ranking published by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for Indian cities, assessing liveability across governance, social, economic, and physical infrastructure dimensions.
The Ease of Living Index (EoLI) was introduced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as part of India's Smart Cities Mission and urban reform agenda. The index evaluates over 100 cities across four pillars: governance (urban services delivery, ICT penetration, city planning), social infrastructure (health, education, safety), economic indicators (economic development, employment), and physical infrastructure (housing, water supply, sanitation, transport, energy, solid waste management).
The framework draws on data from multiple sources: city-level administrative records, central government scheme implementation data, third-party surveys measuring citizen perception of service quality, and national databases. Cities are assigned scores on a 100-point scale across the pillars, with separate rankings for million-plus population cities and those below one million.
The index was first published for 2018 assessments, with subsequent rounds in 2020 and beyond. Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, and Navi Mumbai have featured prominently in top rankings across editions. The rankings have been used by urban local bodies as competitive benchmarks to accelerate infrastructure and governance improvements.
From an investment perspective, the EoLI informs several considerations. Cities with high EoLI scores tend to attract talent and corporate headquarters, supporting real estate demand and commercial property values. Real estate investment trust (REIT) portfolios concentrated in high-EoLI cities have the backing of structurally stronger occupier demand. Urban infrastructure investment through Smart Cities Mission creates procurement opportunities for urban water, sanitation, and transport sector companies.
The index also has parallels with the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business rankings for firms, though EoLI focuses specifically on household quality of life. Both indices influenced India's reform narrative in the 2010s and attracted citations in sovereign presentations to global investors.