Worldwide Quality of Living Survey
— Personal safety key factor in determining expat quality of living
— Vienna ranks highest in overall quality of living
— Luxembourg ranks highest for personal safety; Baghdad lowest
— London ranks 39th in overall quality of living in UK; 72nd in personal safety
For its 2016 Quality of Living Survey, global consulting firm Mercer analyzed local living conditions in 460 cities based on 40 factors including political stability, Personal safety, crime, access to medical supplies and services, air pollution, schools and recreation.
The annual list is used to help multinational companies decide fair compensation for employees assigned abroad.
Vienna is the world’s best city to live in; Baghdad is the worst, and London, Paris and New York do not even make it into the top 35, according to international research into quality of life.
German-speaking cities dominate the rankings in the 18th Mercer Quality of Life study, with Vienna joined by Zurich, Munich, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt in the top seven.
The European migrant crisis, which has seen large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers pass through Vienna en route to Germany, has had little impact on the city of nearly 1.8 million people. (we shall see that in the coming few years)
Auckland in New Zealand was the highest ranking English-speaking city in the survey, in third place, followed by Vancouver in fifth. Australian cities also perform very highly in the survey, with Sydney 10th and Melbourne 15th. The Economist has consistently ranked Melbourne as the world’s most liveable city, although its survey has been criticised as too Anglocentric.
War and political unrest are behind all the worst-ranked cities in the world. Surprisingly, Damascus is named as only the seventh worst, ranked better than not just Baghdad but also Bangui in Central African Republic, Sana’a in Yemen, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, Khartoum in Sudan, and N’Djamena in Chad.
Best Places to Live in The World
|
Rank
|
City
|
Country
|
1
|
Vienna
|
Austria
|
2
|
Zurich
|
Switzerland
|
3
|
Auckland
|
New Zealand
|
4
|
Munich
|
Germany
|
5
|
Vancouver
|
Canada
|
6
|
Dusseldorf
|
Germany
|
7
|
Frankfurt
|
Germany
|
8
|
Geneva
|
Switzerland
|
9
|
Copenhagen
|
Denmark
|
10
|
Sydney
|
Australia
|
11
|
Amsterdam
|
Netherlands
|
12
|
Wellington
|
New Zealand
|
13
|
Berlin
|
Germany
|
14
|
Bern
|
Switzerland
|
15
|
Toronto
|
Canada
|
15
|
Melbourne
|
Australia
|
17
|
Ottawa
|
Canada
|
18
|
Hamburg
|
Germany
|
19
|
Luxembourg
|
Luxembourg
|
19
|
Stockholm
|
Sweden
|
21
|
Brussels
|
Belgium
|
21
|
Perth
|
Australia
|
23
|
Montreal
|
Canada
|
24
|
Stuttgart
|
Germany
|
24
|
Nurnberg
|
Germany
|
26
|
Singapore
|
Singapore
|
27
|
Adelaide
|
Australia
|
28
|
San Francisco
|
US
|
28
|
Canberra
|
Australia
|
30
|
Helsinki
|
Finland
|
30
|
Oslo
|
Norway
|
32
|
Calgary
|
Canada
|
33
|
Dublin
|
Ireland
|
34
|
Boston
|
US
|
35
|
Honolulu
|
US
|
36
|
Brisbane
|
Australia
|
37
|
Paris
|
France
|
38
|
Lyon
|
France
|
39
|
Barcelona
|
Spain
|
39
|
London
|
UK
|
41
|
Milan
|
Italy
|
42
|
Lisbon
|
Portugal
|
43
|
Chicago
|
US
|
44
|
New York
|
US
|
44
|
Tokyo
|
Japan
|
46
|
Seattle
|
US
|
46
|
Kobe
|
Japan
|
46
|
Edinburgh
|
UK
|
49
|
Los Angeles
|
US
|
49
|
Yokohama
|
Japan
|
51
|
Washington DC
|
US
|
52
|
Madrid
|
Spain
|
53
|
Birmingham
|
UK
|
53
|
Rome
|
Italy
|
55
|
Glasgow
|
UK
|
56
|
Pittsburgh
|
US
|
57
|
Philadelphia
|
US
|
58
|
Osaka
|
Japan
|
59
|
Aberdeen
|
UK
|
60
|
Leipzig
|
Germany
|
61
|
Minneapolis
|
US
|
62
|
Nagoya
|
Japan
|
63
|
Dallas
|
US
|
64
|
Belfast
|
UK
|
65
|
Houston
|
US
|
66
|
Miami
|
US
|
67
|
Atlanta
|
US
|
68
|
St. Louis
|
US
|
69
|
Prague
|
Czech Republic
|
70
|
Detroit
|
US
|
70
|
Hong Kong
|
Hong Kong
|
72
|
Pointe-a-Pitre
|
Guadeloupe
|
73
|
Seoul
|
South Korea
|
74
|
San Juan
|
Puerto Rico
|
75
|
Dubai
|
United A. Emirates
|
76
|
Ljubljana
|
Slovenia
|
77
|
Budapest
|
Hungary
|
78
|
Montevideo
|
Uruguay
|
79
|
Vilnius
|
Lithuania
|
79
|
Warsaw
|
Poland
|
81
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United A. Emirates
|
82
|
Bratislava
|
Slovakia
|
83
|
Port Louis
|
Mauritius
|
84
|
Taipei
|
Taiwan
|
85
|
Durban
|
South Africa
|
86
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Malaysia
|
87
|
Athens
|
Greece
|
88
|
Limassol
|
Cyprus
|
89
|
Tallinn
|
Estonia
|
90
|
Riga
|
Latvia
|
91
|
Busan
|
South Korea
|
92
|
Cape Town
|
South Africa
|
93
|
Buenos Aires
|
Argentina
|
94
|
Santiago
|
Chile
|
95
|
Johannesburg
|
South Africa
|
96
|
Panama City
|
Panama
|
97
|
Victoria
|
Seychelles
|
98
|
Zagreb
|
Croatia
|
99
|
Wroclaw
|
Poland
|
100
|
Taichung
|
Taiwan
|
101
|
Shanghai
|
China
|
102
|
Bandar Seri Beg,
|
Brunei
|
103
|
Johor Bahru
|
Malaysia
|
104
|
Tel Aviv
|
Israel
|
105
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
106
|
Brasilia
|
Brazil
|
107
|
Muscat
|
Oman
|
108
|
Monterrey
|
Mexico
|
109
|
Bucharest
|
Romania
|
110
|
Doha
|
Qatar
|
111
|
Noumea
|
New Caledonia
|
112
|
Nassau
|
Bahamas
|
113
|
Tunis
|
Tunisia
|
114
|
Asuncion
|
Paraguay
|
115
|
Sofia
|
Bulgaria
|
116
|
Rabat
|
Morocco
|
117
|
Rio De Janeiro
|
Brazil
|
118
|
Beijing
|
China
|
119
|
Guangzhou
|
China
|
120
|
Amman
|
Jordan
|
121
|
Sao Paulo
|
Brazil
|
122
|
Istanbul
|
Turkey
|
123
|
Lima
|
Peru
|
124
|
Kuwait City
|
Kuwait
|
125
|
Manaus
|
Brazil
|
126
|
Casablanca
|
Morocco
|
127
|
Mexico City
|
Mexico
|
128
|
Quito
|
Ecuador
|
129
|
Bangkok
|
Thailand
|
130
|
Bogota
|
Colombia
|
131
|
Windhoek
|
Namibia
|
132
|
Colombo
|
Sri Lanka
|
133
|
Manama
|
Bahrain
|
134
|
Chengdu
|
China
|
135
|
Santo Domingo
|
Dominican Rep
|
136
|
Manila
|
Philippines
|
137
|
Nanjing
|
China
|
137
|
Shenzhen
|
China
|
139
|
Hyderabad
|
India
|
139
|
Xian
|
China
|
141
|
Belgrade
|
Serbia
|
142
|
Jakarta
|
Indonesia
|
142
|
Gaborone
|
Botswana
|
144
|
Pune
|
India
|
145
|
Bengaluru
|
India
|
146
|
Chongqing
|
China
|
147
|
Port of Spain
|
Trinidad & Tobago
|
147
|
Qingdao
|
China
|
149
|
Lusaka
|
Zambia
|
150
|
Chennai
|
India
|
151
|
Kingston
|
Jamaica
|
152
|
Guatemala City
|
Guatemala
|
152
|
Mumbai
|
India
|
152
|
Ho Chi Minh C.
|
Vietnam
|
155
|
Hanoi
|
Vietnam
|
156
|
La Paz
|
Bolivia
|
157
|
Shenyang
|
China
|
158
|
Sarajevo
|
Bosnia-Herzegovina
|
159
|
Skopje
|
Macedonia
|
160
|
Kolkata
|
India
|
161
|
New Delhi
|
India
|
162
|
Dakar
|
Senegal
|
163
|
Libreville
|
Gabon
|
164
|
Riyadh
|
Saudi Arabia
|
165
|
Jeddah
|
Saudi Arabia
|
166
|
Accra
|
Ghana
|
167
|
Moscow
|
Russia
|
168
|
Jilin
|
China
|
169
|
Kampala
|
Uganda
|
170
|
Vientiane
|
Laos
|
171
|
Cairo
|
Egypt
|
172
|
Managua
|
Nicaragua
|
173
|
San Salvador
|
El Salvador
|
174
|
St. Petersburg
|
Russia
|
175
|
Blantyre
|
Malawi
|
176
|
Almaty
|
Kazakhstan
|
176
|
Kiev
|
Ukraine
|
178
|
Maputo
|
Mozambique
|
179
|
Tirana
|
Albania
|
180
|
Beirut
|
Lebanon
|
181
|
Cotonou
|
Benin
|
182
|
Yerevan
|
Armenia
|
183
|
Banjul
|
Gambia
|
184
|
Nairobi
|
Kenya
|
185
|
Caracas
|
Venezuela
|
186
|
Tegucigalpa
|
Honduras
|
187
|
Algiers
|
Algeria
|
188
|
Tbilisi
|
Georgia
|
189
|
Djibouti
|
Djibouti
|
190
|
Minsk
|
Belarus
|
191
|
Kigali
|
Rwanda
|
191
|
Havana
|
Cuba
|
193
|
Islamabad
|
Pakistan
|
194
|
Yaounde
|
Cameroon
|
195
|
Phnom Penh
|
Cambodia
|
196
|
Douala
|
Cameroon
|
197
|
Baku
|
Azerbaijan
|
198
|
Dar Es Salaam
|
Tanzania
|
199
|
Lahore
|
Pakistan
|
199
|
Luanda
|
Angola
|
201
|
Yangon
|
Myanmar
|
202
|
Karachi
|
Pakistan
|
203
|
Tehran
|
Iran
|
204
|
Lome
|
Togo
|
205
|
Tashkent
|
Uzbekistan
|
206
|
Abidjan
|
Ivory Coast
|
207
|
Addis Ababa
|
Ethiopia
|
208
|
Ashgabat
|
Turkmenistan
|
209
|
Harare
|
Zimbabwe
|
210
|
Bishkek
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
211
|
Lagos
|
Nigeria
|
212
|
Abuja
|
Nigeria
|
212
|
Dushanbe
|
Tajikistan
|
214
|
Dhaka
|
Bangladesh
|
215
|
Ouagadougou
|
Burkina Faso
|
216
|
Tripoli
|
Libya
|
217
|
Niamey
|
Niger
|
218
|
Antananarivo
|
Madagascar
|
219
|
Bamako
|
Mali
|
220
|
Nouakchott
|
Mauritania
|
221
|
Conakry
|
Guinea Republic
|
222
|
Kinshasa
|
DR Congo
|
223
|
Brazzaville
|
Congo
|
224
|
Damascus
|
Syria
|
225
|
N’Djamena
|
Chad
|
226
|
Khartoum
|
Sudan
|
227
|
Port-au-Prince
|
Haiti
|
228
|
Sana’a
|
Yemen
|
229
|
Bangui
|
Central A. Republic
|
230
|
Baghdad
|
Iraq
|
Source
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