20130814

The Best Cities in the World to Live


  1. Tokyo, Japan     – Tokyo has made it onto the list as it is one of the most decorated cities in the world and one of the safest cities for tourists. It is scored number one in best taxi services, friendliest taxi drivers, best public transportation, cleanest streets, and safety.
  2. Dubrovnik, Croatia - While Croatia may seem like an odd addition to the list, it is actually one of the safest countries in the world. Croatia is known for being a great tourist attraction for having its lavish beaches and resorts. Moreover, Croatia has also been noticed for its hospitality and its safety standards.
  3. Singapore, Republic Of Singapore – Singapore made it to the top 15 safest cities in the world list because it is one of the healthiest and safest cities in the world. Formally known as the Garden City, Singapore is not only filled with beautiful sites, but kind and beautiful people as well.
  4. Vienna, Austria – Vienna is one of the safest and best cities to work and live in as it has low crime levels and a stable economy. Vienna was also named the world’s most liveable city by an annual survey by consulting firm Mercer in 2011.
  5. Zürich, Switzerland – Of course the most neutral place in the world would make the top 15 safest cities in the world list. Zürich may not have made it to the number one spot as the safest city, but it is said to be the world’s nicest city. This city is also known for its highly efficient, clean and safe public transport system.
  6. Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Who would have thought a Middle Eastern country would make it to the list, and in the top 10 no less. With the many tourists coming into the city, Dubai has exceedingly become one of the safest cities in the world. Dubai is known for being the “it” place in the Middle East for tourists looking to explore the wonders and innovation the Middle East has to offer.
  7. Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm may have garnered a recent bad reputation for being a dangerous place in Sweden, however, it still has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe. Many citizens of Sweden speak English in Stockholm and are said to be the friendliest of people.
  8. Seoul, South Korea – While many wouldn’t think South Korea to be a safe area, especially considering the recent actions of their neighbors  in the north, Seoul is one of the safest cities in the world in terms of street crime rates.
  9. Munich, Germany – Compared to the rest of the world, Munich is considered to be one of the most safest cities. While there are certain parts of Munich that may bring unwarranted incidents, the overall feel of the area is that of a peaceful and lively city filled with many tourists and attractions.
  10. Copenhagen, Denmark - Being such a large and busy city, it is a wonder how Copenhagen can continue to keep such low crimes rates and remain one of the safest cities in the world. Many tourists travel to Denmark and very few have reported incidents of a dangerous nature in the country.
  11. Vancouver, Canada - Our neighbors to the north seem to be doing quite well when it comes to the safety and security of Vancouver. Vancouver is one of the biggest cities in Canada and maintains low crime rates. It is also one of the cleanest cities in the country and remains to be the top destination for tourists visiting Canada.
  12. Sydney, Australia – Sydney made the cut to be included in the top 15 safest cities in the world as it has by far one of the kindest populations. Travelers flying to the down-under have reported a great experience being in such a peaceful and hospitable environment filled with kind folks with cool accents.
  13. Amsterdam, Netherlands – Back in 2008, Amsterdam was ranked 22 out of 215 world cities for personal safety in its 2008 Quality of Life Survey. Since then, the city has only gotten safer as many tourists travel and explore the city without incident.
  14. Dublin, Ireland – While it may surprise some to consider the country of Ireland having one of the safest cities in the world, Dublin made the top 15 safest cities in the world list due to its low crime rates. Dublin beat out its neighbor cities in the U.K. and has garnered a reputation for being a fun and safe place for vacationing.
  15. Honolulu, United States - Sadly enough, the U.S. barely makes the cut in the top 15 safest cities in the world list. Surprisingly, Honolulu is the safest city in the U.S. and one of the safest cities in the world as it has a low violent crimes rate and is one of the prime vacationing cities for tourists.
The "best cities to live" are those that offer the best quality of life. European cities have dominated this ranking in the past and continue to do so in the 2011 Mercer Consulting Quality of Living Survey, occupying eight of the first ten spots. Vienna remains in first place for the third year in a row. Auckland, New Zealand (2) and Vancouver, Canada (5) are the only non-European cities in the latest top ten. Baghdad, Iraq, retains the last place (221,) coming after Khartoum, Sudan (217), Port-au-Prince, Haiti (218), N'Djamena, Chad (219) and Bangui, Central African Republic (220.)

In 2011, Mercer also released a separate ranking for cities that provide the highest level of personal safety, with Luxembourg, Bern (Switzerland) and Helsinki (Finland) leading the chart.

By Valentina Pasquali and Tina Aridas - Project coordinator: Denise Bedell and Alessandro Magno

Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2011

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Mercer Personal Safety Ranking 2011*

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*Mercer’s Personal Safety Ranking 2011 is based on measures of internal stability, crime levels, law enforcement effectiveness and host country international relations.
Defining the term "quality of life" is not an easy task. In fact, what constitutes a good quality of life has occupied philosophers since Plato and Aristotle, and countless definitions have been proposed.

Nevertheless, it seems possible to find some elements on which most scholars agree. First of all, as "quality of life" is used to evaluate the overall well being of individuals and societies, it should not be confused with the concept of "standard of living" or income per capita. Although most studies on the quality of life indeed do take into account indicators of economic success such as income per capita, wealth and employment, they also go beyond those measures to include the environment, physical and mental health, education, leisure time, infrastructure and safety. Also often included are concepts such as freedom, human rights, human flourishing, social belonging and happiness.

One of the most widely known studies of quality of living that compares the "livability" of cities around the world is released each year by Mercer. The composite index ranks 221 cities worldwide on a point-scoring index, ranked against New York as the base city with an index score of 100.

Mercer's Senior Researcher Slagin Parakatil talks about the 2011 Quality of Living Survey results and city rankings 


Overall Mercer evaluates local living conditions in 420 cities, according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories:

• Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc.)
• Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services)
• Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc.)
• Health and sanitation (medical services and supplies, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc.)
• Schools and education (availability and standards of international schools)
• Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc.)
• Recreation (restaurants, theaters, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc.)
• Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc.)
• Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc.)
• Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters)

Mercer's goal in conducting the survey is to help governments and multi-national companies compensate employees fairly when moving them internationally.

Europe dominates the most recent survey with over half the cities amongst the top 25. Vienna holds on to the top spot for the third year in a row, followed by Zurich, Switzerland, and Auckland, New Zealand. Alongside Vancouver, Canada (5,) Auckland is one of only two non-European cities to make the top ten. The other European cities that lead the ranking are Munich, Germany (4,) Düsseldorf, Germany (5, tied with Vancouver,) Frankfurt, Germany (7,) Geneva, Switzerland (8,) and Copenhagen (Denmark) and Bern (Switzerland) sharing ninth place. The lowest-ranking European city is Tbilisi, Georgia (214.)
The top cities in North America are all in Canada. Besides Vancouver (5,) we find Ottawa (14), Toronto (15) and Montreal (22). In the United States, Honolulu (29) and San Francisco (30) offer the best quality of life.
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (63) is the highest ranking city in Central and South America. San Juan, Puerto Rico (72,) and Montevideo, Uruguay (77,) follow. Port-au-Prince, Haiti (218,) comes last in this region.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Auckland, New Zealand, tops the ranking, followed by Sydney, Australia (11,) Wellington, New Zealand (13,) Melbourne, Australia (18,) and Perth, Australia (21.) The highest-ranking cities in Asia are Singapore (25) and Tokyo (46.) Dushanbe, Tajikistan (208,) has the lowest ranking.
In the Middle East and Africa, Dubai, UAE (74,) ranks highest, followed by Abu Dhabi, UAE (78,) Port Louis, Mauritius (82,) and Cape Town, South Africa (88.) African cities pack the bottom of the global ranking, occupying 18 spots out of the last 25. Bangui, Central African Republic is 220th, followed by N'Djamena, Chad (219,) Khartoum, Sudan (217,) and Brazzaville, Congo (214). Baghdad, Iraq (221,) retains the bottom spot both regionally and globally.

This year's special Personal Safety ranking shows similar but not identical results. Europe places seven cities in the top ten, with Luxembourg in first place, and three others tied in second place, Bern, Switzerland, Helsinki, Finland, and Zurich, Switzerland. Vienna is fifth and Geneva and Stockholm share the sixth place. Like in the Quality of Living survey, Baghdad, Iraq (221,) is also dead last for personal safety, followed by N'Djamena, Chad (220,) Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (219,) Bangui, Central African Republic (218,) and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (217). This survey is based on data about internal stability, crime levels, law enforcement effectiveness and the international relations entertained by the host country.

For a further discussion of the concept of quality of life, click here to read the abstract from the 2009 Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, chaired by Nobel Prize-winning economists Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz and Professor Amartya Sen, and by Professor Jean-Paul Fitoussi. 
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The EIU's Liveability Ranking and Overview August 2012[1][2][3]
CityCountryRating
1Melbourne Australia97.5
2Vienna Austria97.4
3Vancouver Canada97.3
4Toronto Canada97.2
5Calgary Canada96.6
5Adelaide Australia96.6
7Sydney Australia96.1
8Helsinki Finland96.0
9Perth Australia95.9
10Auckland New Zealand95.7
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