World's healthiest cities - gallery

Sydney: arguably Australia's most famous city - is the epitome of the healthy outdoor culture that many cities strive for but few actually manage. High quality sports clubs and facilities, many the legacy of the 2000 Summer Olympics, ensure the population keeps active - and the good weather ensures that happens all year round. Photograph: Stephen Ward, Destination NSW/PR

It's not just about the sun, sea and sand in Sydney, though; one thing the city has in abundance is parkland. National parks and wildlife trails are within easy reach of the centre of town, and residents hit the slopes of a different variety to explore native flora and fauna. Photograph: James Pipino, Destination NSW/PR

Sydney is not resting on its wellbeing laurels; the local government is investing in 20,000 new street trees to increase urban canopy by 50% by 2030, and a retro-fitting programme of city buildings has seen Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduced by 18% - the plan is to hit 70% over the next 20 years. There is also an investment in bicycle infrastructure which has seen bike trips triple in peak periods. Photograph: James Horan, Destination NSW/PR

Sydney is envied for its education. The city topped the LSE's Metropolitan Well-being index for the quality of its education, which is a major wellbeing factor. Child-friendly and engaging learning centres such as the Powerhouse museum - a centre of learning and design with a specialist education programme - mean the learning isn't just confined to the classroom. Photograph: James Horan, Destination NSW/PR

Hong Kong: the island city itself is tiny: a land mass of just 1,104km2 houses a population of seven million people, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Thanks to a lack of "sprawl space", it also has more buildings higher than 150m than any other city. Here, the view of Hong Kong's waterfront shows that lack of sprawl clearly - as well as the mountains and water ready-made for residents to play in. Photograph: HKTB/PR

There is such a small space for housing in Hong Kong that it all tends to be sky-high. The population is dense, and they don't have much room to manouevre. Hong Kong-ians tend to go out to socialise; dining with family and friends in one of the neighbourhood restaurants or walking along the shorefront. Fresh seafood and fruit and vegetables are sold in nearby markets, with all the sights and smells that conjures. Photograph: HKTB/PR

Nearly 45% of all trips in Hong Kong are made on foot, lending the city to a very healthy lifestyle. The city is also surrounded by mountains, water and neighbouring islands which all boast their own sporting and lifestyle secrets. Hiking and cycling in the mountains surrounding Hong Kong city are popular with residents in cooler months, while canoeing, sailing, swimming and more keep them occupied when it's warm. Photograph: HKTB/PR

The ancient and fluid movements of tai chi are not unique to Hong Kong, but residents and visitors alike are guaranteed to stumble across practitioners in public parks and spaces all over the city. It's not hard to close your eyes and imagine a solitary figure in the park, gracefully moving to a silent song to help balance their body's internal yin and yang, or mind and soul. The timeless movements are regularly practiced in Hong Kong to relieve stress and improve health. Photograph: Jim Cummins/Getty Images

Tokyo: also a city led by walking, Tokyo makes the healthiest cities list. It remains the world's biggest city with a greater metropolitain population of 35 million, and has arguably one of the world's best public transport systems. As a result, Greenhouse Gas Emissions are relatively low. Photograph: TCVB/PR

The cliche says Tokyo is all tall buildings and neon, but waterways and public parks come alive in spring and summer as the cherry blossoms turn the city's parks pale pink. In public spaces such as the Chidorigfuchi moat, residents stretch their legs with a stroll - or test their arms with a row. Photograph: TCVB/PR

Japan's life expectancy remains the highest in the world at 85.9 years for women and 79.4 years for men. The city's seniors are very active, and metropolitan parks such as the Rikugien Garden provide plenty of outdoor space in which to meet friends or go for a wander. Rikugien was designed as a strolling mountain and pond garden in 1702 by a confidante of the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi; it was opened to the public in 1938. Photograph: TCVB/PR

With family members living longer than anywhere else in the world, the tradition of family is very important to the Japanese people. All family members are expected to contribute to the perpetuation of the family, and grandparents often care for children while parents work. The ie, or Japanese family system, refers not only to blood lines but also to economic and socioreligious functions that take place within the family. All of this combines to ensure family members are well looked after and the unit remains strong. Photograph: TCVB/PR

Copenhagen: just outside of the city lies the coast and natural surroundings that are exceptionally clean, open and unspoilt. Tisvilde, a small town 37 miles north of Copenhagen is home to a popular beach - it stretches for a kilometre with white, child-friendly sandy beaches, and it runs alongside Tisvilde Hegn, Denmark's fifth largest forest. Photograph: Christian Alsing/PR

Copenhagen has achieved something very few large cities have: it has replaced a driving culture with a cycling culture. The government's ambition is to make Copenhagen the world's leading bicycle city by 2015, and it's a goal that is definitely within reach; 36% of all Copenhageners use bicycles to go to work, school or university, cycling the more than 300km of designated bike paths. There is also popular "free token bikes" to allow tourists to get into the Copenhagen spirit. Photograph: Kasper Thye/PR

Copenhagen is a city that caters well for all of its residents. While the big kids play in world-class bars and restaurants, the city's children have world-class facilities of their own. Plenty of open space, public parks, play equipment and - crucially - kid-friendly museums and galleries ensure the youth of this fairy tale-like city will grow up to be world-class themselves. Photograph: Ty Stange/PR

Copenhagen is in Scandinavia, and so - let's be honest - sunshine and outdoor activities are not going to be part of healthy living all year round. But Copenhagen makes the most of its icy time. Kongens Nytorv (in English, it's King's New Square), a centrally-located public square at the end of a pedestrian street, is the largest and finest square in the city - and opens itself up as an ice skating field during winter months. This has the added benefit of making it easier to get around Copenhagen while keeping residents fit... Photograph: Morten Jerichau/PR

Stockholm: sticking with both a winter and Scandinavian theme, our final healthiest city is Stockholm. Residents of the Swedish capital are well versed in moving around on snow and ice, and don't let a frozen lake or river stop them from getting from A to B in the winter. Photograph: Henrik Trygg/PR

Stockholm is one of the cleanest and greenest capitals in the world. It was granted the 2010 European Green Capital Award by the EU Commission, having been evaluated on climate change, local transport, public green areas, air quality, noise, waste, water consumption, wastewater treatment, sustainable utilisation of land, biodiversity and environmental management. Stockholm also boasts the world's first national urban park, the Royal National City Park, which remains an urban lung stretching for six miles throughout the city. Photograph: SBR/PR

Stockholm is strategically located on 14 islands on the coast of south-east Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, by the Stockholm archipelago. Known for its beauty and abundant clean and open water, it is truly a city where you need to be active. Tourists are encouraged to join the locals in a favourite pastime and cycle the city - Stockholm City Bikes can be rented during the warmer months. Photograph: Henrik Trygg/PR

Sweden came fourth in Gallup's Global Wellbeing Index, and it's certainly got a lot of sustainability credentials. Perhaps most importantly, though, Stockholm scores highly for mental stimulus. It has one of the highest concentrations of museums in the world - more than 100 are within the city. The Fotografiska, one of the world's largest meeting places for contemporary photography; Skansen Open-Air Museum, the oldest open-air museum in the world; and Gamla stan, one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centres in Europe, are just some of the mentally-stimulating attractions on offer in Stockholm. Photograph: Nicho Södling/PR