• Registered: 2004-08-08
  • Posts: 508

Topic: Zurich, Geneva Have Highest Quality of Living

Zurich, Geneva Have Highest Quality of Living; Baghdad Is Last

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Zurich, the financial capital of Switzerland, and Geneva, its private banking center, have the highest quality of living in a ranking of 215 cities worldwide. Baghdad was named the least livable city.

Vancouver ranked No. 3 in the survey, which was published today by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a unit of insurer Marsh & McLennan Cos. Honolulu was the highest-ranked U.S. city at No. 27. The survey looked at 39 criteria for quality of living, including personal safety and health, education, transport, political and environmental factors.

Zurich, the home of UBS AG, Europe's biggest bank by assets, is ``the world's top city for quality of life,'' Mercer said in the report. Baghdad was ``the least attractive city for a third consecutive year.''

Cities in Canada, Europe and Australia dominated the rankings, Mercer said, with almost half of the top 30 cities located in Western Europe. Paris stayed in 33rd place and London held 39th. New York and Tokyo both slid down one rank, to 46th and 35th respectively.

Auckland made the biggest gain in the top 10 rankings, to No. 5 from No. 8 a year ago, and its New Zealand counterpart Wellington advanced to 12th from 14th a year ago. Melbourne dropped 3 positions to 17th.

In Asia, Singapore rose one to 34th. The top-ranked Chinese city was Shanghai at 103rd place, Mercer said.

``Beijing and Shanghai are on the rise and should experience rapid improvements in quality of living in the coming years,'' Slagin Parakatil, a senior researcher at Mercer, said in the survey.

Following is a table of cities with the world's highest quality of living, according to the study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The previous year's position is in parenthesis:

1. Zurich, Switzerland (1)
2. Geneva, Switzerland (2)
3. Vancouver, Canada (3)
4. Vienna, Austria (3)
5. Auckland, New Zealand (8)
6. Dusseldorf, Germany (5)
7. Frankfurt, Germany (6)
8. Munich, Germany (7)
9. Bern, Switzerland (9)
9. Sydney, Australia (9)
11. Copenhagen, Denmark (11)
12. Wellington, New Zealand (14)
13. Amsterdam, Netherlands (12)
14. Brussels, Belgium (13)
15. Toronto, Canada (16)
16. Berlin, Germany (16)
17. Melbourne, Australia (14)
18. Luxembourg, Luxembourg (18)
18. Ottawa, Canada (21)
20. Stockholm, Sweden (19)
21. Perth, Australia (20)
22. Montreal, Canada (22)
23. Nuremberg, Germany (22)
24. Dublin, Ireland (22)
25. Calgary, Canada (25)
26. Hamburg, Germany (25)
27. Honolulu, HI (25)
28. San Francisco, CA (28)
29. Adelaide, Australia (29)
29. Helsinki, Finland (29)
31. Brisbane, Australia (31)
31. Oslo, Norway (32)
33. Paris, France (33)
34. Singapore, Singapore (35)
35. Tokyo, Japan (34)
36. Boston, MA (36)
37. Lyon, France (37)
37. Yokohama, Japan (37)
39. London, UK (39)
40. Kobe, Japan (40)
41. Washington, DC (41)
41. Chicago, IL (52)
43. Portland, OR (42)
44. Barcelona, Spain (43)
45. Madrid, Spain (44)
46. New York City, NY (45)
47. Seattle, WA (46)
48. Lexington, KY (47)
49. Pittsburgh, PA (48)
49. Winston Salem, NC (48)
51. Osaka, Japan (50)
51. Milan, Italy (51)

  • From: Herts - UK
  • Registered: 2005-09-11
  • Posts: 842

Re: Zurich, Geneva Have Highest Quality of Living

Baghdad was named the least livable city.

Erm.... Really.

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StevenBullen's Website

  • Registered: 2004-08-08
  • Posts: 508

Re: Zurich, Geneva Have Highest Quality of Living

Here is the complete listing:

     Rank   Rank                                               Index   Index
     2006   2005    City              Country                   2006    2005

        1      1    ZURICH            Switzerland              108.2   108.0
        2      2    GENEVA            Switzerland              108.1   107.9
        3      3    VANCOUVER         Canada                   107.7   107.4
        4      3    VIENNA            Austria                  107.5   107.4
        5      8    AUCKLAND          New Zealand              107.3   106.5
        6      5    DUSSELDORF        Germany                  107.2   107.0
        7      6    FRANKFURT         Germany                  107.0   106.8
        8      7    MUNICH            Germany                  106.8   106.7
        9      9    BERN              Switzerland              106.5   106.4
        9      9    SYDNEY            Australia                106.5   106.4
       11     11    COPENHAGEN        Denmark                  106.2   106.2
       12     14    WELLINGTON        New Zealand              105.8   105.0
       13     12    AMSTERDAM         Netherlands              105.7   105.7
       14     13    BRUSSELS          Belgium                  105.6   105.6
       15     16    TORONTO           Canada                   105.4   104.9
       16     16    BERLIN            Germany                  105.1   104.9
       17     14    MELBOURNE         Australia                105.0   105.0
       18     18    LUXEMBOURG        Luxembourg               104.8   104.8
       18     21    OTTAWA            Canada                   104.8   104.3
       20     19    STOCKHOLM         Sweden                   104.7   104.7
       21     20    PERTH             Australia                104.5   104.5
       22     22    MONTREAL          Canada                   104.3   104.0
       23     22    NURNBERG          Germany                  104.1   104.0
       24     22    DUBLIN            Ireland                  103.8   104.0
       25     25    CALGARY           Canada                   103.6   103.3
       26     25    HAMBURG           Germany                  103.4   103.3
       27     25    HONOLULU, HI      United States            103.3   103.3
       28     28    SAN FRANCISCO, CA United States            103.2   103.2
       29     29    ADELAIDE          Australia                103.1   103.1
       29     29    HELSINKI          Finland                  103.1   103.1
       31     31    BRISBANE          Australia                102.8   103.0
       31     32    OSLO              Norway                   102.8   102.8
       33     33    PARIS             France                   102.7   102.7
       34     35    SINGAPORE         Singapore                102.5   102.0
       35     34    TOKYO             Japan                    102.3   102.3
       36     36    BOSTON, MA        United States            101.9   101.9
       37     37    LYON              France                   101.6   101.6
       37     37    YOKOHAMA          Japan                    101.6   101.6
       39     39    LONDON            United Kingdom           101.2   101.2
       40     40    KOBE              Japan                    101.0   101.0
       41     41    WASHINGTON, DC    United States            100.4   100.4
       41     52    CHICAGO, IL       United States            100.4    99.3
       43     42    PORTLAND, OR      United States            100.3   100.3
       44     43    BARCELONA         Spain                    100.2   100.2
       45     44    MADRID            Spain                    100.1   100.1
       46     45    NEW YORK CITY, NY United States            100.0   100.0
       47     46    SEATTLE, WA       United States             99.9    99.9
       48     47    LEXINGTON, KY     United States             99.8    99.8
       49     48    PITTSBURGH, PA    United States             99.7    99.7
       49     48    WINSTON SALEM, NC United States             99.7    99.7
       51     50    OSAKA             Japan                     99.6    99.6
       51     51    MILAN             Italy                     99.6    99.4
       53     53    LISBON            Portugal                  98.9    98.9
       53     54    NAGOYA            Japan                     98.9    98.6
       55     54    TSUKUBA           Japan                     98.3    98.6
       55     56    BIRMINGHAM        United Kingdom            98.3    98.3
       55     56    GLASGOW           United Kingdom            98.3    98.3
       55     56    LOS ANGELES, CA   United States             98.3    98.3
       59     59    CLEVELAND, OH     United States             98.2    98.2
       60     60    MINNEAPOLIS, MN   United States             97.9    97.9
       61     61    ST. LOUIS, MO     United States             97.6    97.6
       62     62    ROME              Italy                     97.4    97.0
       63     63    MIAMI, FL         United States             96.3    96.3
       64     64    YOKKAICHI         Japan                     96.2    96.2
       65     65    DETROIT, MI       United States             96.1    96.1
       66     66    ATLANTA, GA       United States             95.7    95.7
       67     67    OMUTA             Japan                     95.5    95.5
       68     68    HOUSTON, TX       United States             95.4    95.4
       68     69    LEIPZIG           Germany                   95.4    95.1
       68     70    HONG KONG         Hong Kong                 95.4    94.8
       71     71    KATSUYAMA         Japan                     93.1    93.4
       72     72    SAN JUAN          Puerto Rico               92.9    92.9
       73     73    PRAGUE            Czech Republic            91.8    90.5
       74     74    BUDAPEST          Hungary                   90.8    90.1
       75     75    KUALA LUMPUR      Malaysia                  88.9    89.4
       76     76    MONTEVIDEO        Uruguay                   88.1    88.3
       77     77    PORT LOUIS        Mauritius                 87.7    87.7
       78     78    BUENOS AIRES      Argentina                 87.3    87.1
       79     79    ATHENS            Greece                    86.8    86.8
       80     81    LJUBLJANA         Slovenia                  86.6    86.3
       81     80    TAIPEI            Taiwan                    86.5    86.5
       81     82    SANTIAGO          Chile                     86.5    86.2
       83     83    CAPE TOWN         South Africa              86.0    86.0
       84     84    VILNIUS           Lithuania                 85.9    85.4
       85     85    DUBAI             United Arab Emirates      85.2    84.6
       86     87    WARSAW            Poland                    85.1    83.8
       87     86    JOHANNESBURG      South Africa              84.0    84.2
       88     88    LIMASSOL          Cyprus                    83.2    83.2
       89     90    SEOUL             South Korea               83.0    82.6
       90     89    PANAMA CITY       Panama                    82.9    82.9
       91     91    TALLINN           Estonia                   82.8    82.4
       92     97    ABU DHABI         United Arab Emirates      82.6    81.8
       93     92    PORT ELIZABETH    South Africa              82.3    82.3
       94     93    MONTERREY         Mexico                    82.2    82.2
       94     93    TUNIS             Tunisia                   82.2    82.2
       94     93    VICTORIA          Seychelles                82.2    82.2
       97     96    PAPEETE           French Polynesia          82.0    82.0
       98     99    RIGA              Latvia                    81.9    81.3
       99     98    JOHOR BAHARU      Malaysia                  81.2    81.7
      100    100    NOUMEA            New Caledonia             80.8    80.8
      101    101    KAOHSIUNG         Taiwan                    80.7    80.7
      102    103    BRATISLAVA        Slovakia                  80.5    79.0
      103    102    SHANGHAI          China                     80.1    80.0
      104    104    BRASILIA          Brazil                    78.8    78.8
      105    118    TEL AVIV          Israel                    78.5    74.3
      106    105    SAN JOSE          Costa Rica                77.8    77.8
      107    106    BANGKOK           Thailand                  77.7    77.7
      108    107    ISTANBUL          Turkey                    77.1    77.1
      108    107    SAO PAULO         Brazil                    77.1    77.1
      110    109    YEOCHUN (YOSU)    South Korea               76.3    76.2
      111    109    BUCHAREST         Romania                   76.2    76.2
      111    113    ZAGREB            Croatia                   76.2    75.3
      113    111    ASUNCION          Paraguay                  76.1    76.1
      114    112    NASSAU            Bahamas                   75.9    75.9
      114    127    JERUSALEM         Israel                    75.9    71.8
      116    115    ULSAN             South Korea               75.0    75.0
      117    117    RIO DE JANEIRO    Brazil                    74.5    74.5
      118    114    QUITO             Ecuador                   74.2    75.1
      119    119    MANILA            Philippines               73.8    73.8
      119    120    SOFIA             Bulgaria                  73.8    73.5
      121    116    COLOMBO           Sri Lanka                 73.6    74.6
      122    121    BEIJING           China                     73.4    73.4
      123    125    LIMA              Peru                      73.0    72.3
      124    124    CASABLANCA        Morocco                   72.8    72.5
      125    126    MANAMA            Bahrain                   72.3    72.2
      126    129    AMMAN             Jordan                    72.2    71.5
      127    123    GUAYAQUIL         Ecuador                   72.0    72.8
      128    128    MEXICO CITY       Mexico                    71.7    71.7
      129    129    MANAUS            Brazil                    71.5    71.5
      130    131    SANTO DOMINGO     Dominican Republic        71.4    71.4
      131    122    CAIRO             Egypt                     71.2    73.2
      132    132    RAYONG            Thailand                  70.3    70.3
      133    133    GUANGZHOU         China                     69.8    69.8
      134    141    KUWAIT CITY       Kuwait                    68.1    64.3
      135    135    BLANTYRE          Malawi                    66.9    66.8
      136    136    NANJING           China                     66.3    66.3
      137    137    LA PAZ            Bolivia                   65.7    65.7
      138    138    LUSAKA            Zambia                    65.5    65.4
      139    134    KINGSTON          Jamaica                   65.3    67.6
      140    140    CARACAS           Venezuela                 64.5    64.5
      141    139    GUATEMALA CITY    Guatemala                 64.3    64.6
      142    142    JAKARTA           Indonesia                 63.7    63.7
      143    143    BOGOTA            Colombia                  63.6    63.6
      144    146    DAKAR             Senegal                   63.5    63.2
      145    144    MEDELLIN          Colombia                  63.3    63.3
      145    144    SANTA CRUZ        Bolivia                   63.3    63.3
      147    147    SHENYANG          China                     62.6    62.6
      148    148    HO CHI MINH CITY  Vietnam                   61.9    61.9
      148    149    NAIROBI           Kenya                     61.9    61.1
      150    151    MUMBAI            India                     61.0    60.6
      150    153    NEW DELHI         India                     61.0    60.4
      152    150    ACCRA             Ghana                     60.9    60.9
      153    151    LIBREVILLE        Gabon                     60.6    60.6
      153    154    BANGALORE         India                     60.6    60.0
      155    154    BEIRUT            Lebanon                   60.0    60.0
      155    154    HANOI             Vietnam                   60.0    60.0
      157    158    SKOPJE            Macedonia                 59.9    58.9
      158    157    ISLAMABAD         Pakistan                  59.8    59.7
      159    159    BELGRADE          Serbia & Montenegro       59.4    58.1
      160    160    CHENNAI (MADRAS)  India                     58.3    57.8
      161    161    JILIN             China                     57.4    57.4
      162    162    JEDDAH            Saudi Arabia              57.1    57.1
      163    163    ST. PETERSBURG    Russia                    56.8    56.8
      164    166    LAHORE            Pakistan                  56.5    56.1
      164    167    SARAJEVO          Bosnia-herzegovina        56.5    56.0
      166    164    KIEV              Ukraine                   56.2    56.2
      166    164    RIYADH            Saudi Arabia              56.2    56.2
      168    167    SAN SALVADOR      El Salvador               56.0    56.0
      169    169    HARARE            Zimbabwe                  55.9    55.9
      170    170    VIENTIANE         Laos                      55.0    55.0
      171    171    MANAGUA           Nicaragua                 54.9    54.9
      171    174    KARACHI           Pakistan                  54.9    54.3
      173    172    MOSCOW            Russia                    54.8    54.8
      174    173    DAMASCUS          Syria                     54.5    54.5
      175    175    COTONOU           Benin                     54.3    54.2
      176    175    DJIBOUTI          Djibouti                  54.2    54.2
      177    177    TEHRAN            Iran                      54.1    54.1
      178    178    TRIPOLI           Libya                     53.5    53.0
      179    179    ALGIERS           Algeria                   52.6    52.7
      180    181    TIRANA            Albania                   51.7    51.2
      181    180    SAN PEDRO SULA    Honduras                  51.3    51.3
      182    182    YAOUNDE           Cameroon                  51.1    51.1
      183    184    ALMATY            Kazakhstan                49.8    49.8
      184    185    MINSK             Belarus                   49.5    49.5
      185    183    YANGON            Myanmar                   49.3    51.0
      186    186    DOUALA            Cameroon                  48.9    48.9
      187    187    MAPUTO            Mozambique                48.7    48.7
      187    188    HAVANA            Cuba                      48.7    48.3
      189    189    NOVOSIBIRSK       Russia                    48.2    48.2
      190    190    DAR ES SALAAM     Tanzania                  47.4    47.4
      191    191    KAZAN             Russia                    47.0    47.0
      192    194    ABIDJAN           Ivory Coast               46.0    45.0
      193    192    BAKU              Azerbaijan                44.8    45.2
      194    193    LOME              Togo                      44.3    45.1
      195    195    ADDIS ABABA       Ethiopia                  44.2    44.2
      196    197    BAMAKO            Mali                      43.9    43.6
      197    199    LUANDA            Angola                    43.4    42.7
      198    198    TASHKENT          Uzbekistan                43.0    43.0
      199    200    LAGOS             Nigeria                   41.8    41.8
      200    196    DHAKA             Bangladesh                41.5    43.9
      201    201    CONAKRY           Guinea Republic           41.2    41.2
      202    202    ANTANANARIVO      Madagascar                41.1    41.1
      202    202    NIAMEY            Niger                     41.1    41.1
      202    202    PORT AU PRINCE    Haiti                     41.1    41.1
      205    205    KINSHASA          Dem. Rep. Of The Congo    40.7    40.7
      206    206    OUAGADOUGOU       Burkina Faso              40.5    40.1
      207    207    NOUAKCHOTT        Mauritania                38.2    39.0
      207    208    PORT HARCOURT     Nigeria                   38.2    38.2
      207    208    SANAA             Yemen Arab Republic       38.2    38.2
      210    210    NDJAMENA          Chad                      37.2    37.2
      211    211    POINTE NOIRE      Congo                     33.9    33.9
      212    212    KHARTOUM          Sudan                     31.7    31.7
      213    214    BANGUI            Central African Republic  30.6    29.6
      214    213    BRAZZAVILLE       Congo                     30.3    30.0
      215    215    BAGHDAD           Iraq                      14.5    14.5