According to a ranking by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Palma is the 260th healthiest city in Europe; the ranking lists 917 towns and cities in total.
The study analysed thirteen indicators related to the health and well-being of residents. These were based on urban design, sustainable transport, environmental quality, and accessibility to green spaces. In terms of being a walkable, green, and community-friendly city, Pamplona in Navarre leads the European ranking, followed by Geneva and Harlow in Essex.
Palma was in the medium-sized city category (between 200,000 and 500,000 inhabitants), of which there were 177 in all. Palma ranked 56th. Bilbao was number one.
The institute's Healthy Urban Design Index gave Palma a score of 5.49 out of ten. Pamplona, the national and European leader, obtained a score of 6.80. In terms of housing density, Palma scored 21.37 per hectare, when the optimal would be at least 45.
The study indicates there is a serious shortage of walking space in Palma relative to the total length of the city's roads. For this, there was a score of 15%. In Pamplona it was 51%. Bicycle infrastructure accounted for just 4.3 percent of the total road length, and only 32 per cent of the population had access to at least one bus stop within a 300-metre radius of their home. In Pamplona this was 56 per cent.
Cities low in the overall ranking included Berlin, 749, and Venice, 878.