London has been named among the best cities for skin health, in a recent study analysing external and environmental factors in 38 OECD countries.
The research, carried out by Liberty London, looked at sunlight exposure, UV levels, temperature, humidity, air quality, prevalence of smoking and vaping, traffic congestion, and average working hours. The data was then weighted and used to give each country's capital city a score out of 100.
The world's top 10 best cities for skin health
| Country | Score |
| 1. Vienna, Austria | (70.83/100) |
| 2. Tokyo, Japan | (67.40/100) |
| 3. Ottawa, Canada | (67.24/100) |
| 4. Stockholm, Sweden | (67.18/100) |
| 5. London, UK | (66.73/100) |
| 6. Oslo, Norway | (66.38/100) |
| 7. Dublin, Ireland | (66.31/100) |
| 8. Berlin, Germany | (66.15/100) |
| 9. Canberra, Australia | (65.82/100) |
| 10. Bern, Switzerland | (65.30/100) |
The UK's score is likely attributed to the low sun exposure, with only 69 days of sunlight per year, and an average UV radiation score of 3.
The smoking rate is also quite low in comparison to other countries, at an average of 10 cigarettes a day smoked by smokers in the UK.
However, the UK didn't reach the top three, likely due to the prevalence of vaping (4.9% of the population) and the 45% extra time people must spend in traffic.
Average environmental conditions in UK:
|
Average Temperature (celsius) |
Humidity (% vapor water in atmosphere) |
Air pollution (annual average PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³)) |
Average working hours per week per person |
| 12.5 | 71 | 8.4 | 35.9 |
Which capital cities have the best environmental conditions?
- Vienna has the smallest percentage of its population vaping (0.7%) and a low to moderate to low level of sun exposure (UV 3.3), putting it on top.
- Canberra has the best traffic out of all capitals, with people only spending 18% extra time in traffic congestion across the year.
- Amsterdam has the lowest weekly working hours, standing at 31.6 hours.
- Reykjavik has the lowest average UV radiation of 1.8.