Austria’s
capital Vienna once again defended its position as the city offering
the best quality of life in the world, while Iraq’s capital Baghdad
remains the worst in an annual survey from consulting firm Mercer.
Mercer’s
survey of 231 cities helps companies and organizations determine
compensation and hardship allowances for international staff. Its
criteria include: political stability, healthcare, education, crime,
recreation and transport.
Europe
has eight of the world’s top 10 most pleasant cities: Germany and
Switzerland each have three cities in the top 10, while New Zealand,
Canada and Australia each have one.
With
a population of 1.8 million, Vienna topped the survey for the ninth
year in a row, boasting a vibrant cultural scene, comprehensive
healthcare and moderate housing costs.
Vienna
is followed by Switzerland’s Zurich and then New Zealand’s
Auckland and Germany’s Munich in joint third.
Vancouver,
ranked fifth, offers the best quality of living in North America.
Singapore at 25 and Montevideo at 77 topped the Asian and Latin
American places. The best African entry on the list was South
Africa’s Durban in 89th place.
A
year before Britain is expected to leave the European Union, its
highest ranked city, London, fell one rank to 41 in an annual
comparison.
“Cities
in the UK continue to rank highly for quality of living, and remain
attractive destinations for multinationals and their employees,”
said Kate Fitzpatrick, Mercer’s Global Mobility Practice Leader for
Britain and Ireland.
Over
the past 20 years, living standards increased the most in some
eastern European cities such as Sarajevo, now at 159, and Bratislava,
at 80, the report said.
“As
a result of increased living standards, a competitive labor market
and talent availability, many of these cities have started attracting
multinational businesses setting up new operations,” said Martine
Ferland, President Europe and Pacific.
Baghdad
has been at the bottom of the list for a decade now. Waves of
sectarian violence have swept through the city since the American-led
invasion in 2003.
Yemen’s
capital Sanaa, devastated by conflict, ranked two places above
Baghdad, and Syria’s Damascus, seven years into a civil war, ranked
six places above Iraq’s capital.
(Header image: The Burg Theatre in Vienna, Austria. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): Reuters