World's Most Livable Cities - Mercer's Quality of Living Survey

Mercer's Quality of Living Survey

Mercer releases annually the Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability and public transportation.

The list helps multi-national companies decide where to open offices or plants, and how much to pay employees. it also provides a brief understanding of the worlds position.

In the 2011 list of cities, the top of the list is dominated by Europe, Canada, and New Zealand; and Switzerland and Germany both have 3 cities in the top 10. The first entries from other countries are Sydney at 11, Singapore at 25, Honolulu at 29, and Tokyo at 46. Baghdad was at the bottom of the list. Of the 25 cities at the bottom, 15 are in Africa. Compared to lists for previous years, cities in South Asia (mainly India), East Asia (mainly China), the Middle East and Eastern Europe are clearly on the rise.

Mercer also has a 'Personal Safety' list, which is also dominated by EU and Swiss cities: the top five are Luxembourg, Bern, Helsinki, Zurich and Vienna.

2010 year’s ranking also identifies the cities with the best eco-ranking based on water availability and drinkability, waste removal, quality of sewage systems, air pollution and traffic congestion. Calgary is at the top of this index (score 145.7), followed by Honolulu in second place (score 145.1) and Ottawa and Helsinki in joint third (score 139.9). Wellington in New Zealand (5), Minneapolis (6), Adelaide (7) and Copenhagen fill the next four slots, while Kobe, Oslo and Stockholm share ninth place. Port-au-Prince in Haiti ranks at the bottom of this table with a score of only 27.8.