• 75th: Dubai. The city was the top ranked in the region, ahead of Abu Dhabi (81st), Port Louis (83rd), Durban (85th), Cape Town (92nd). Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo
    75th: Dubai. The city was the top ranked in the region, ahead of Abu Dhabi (81st), Port Louis (83rd), Durban (85th), Cape Town (92nd). Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo
  • 10th: Sydney. All Australian cities are considered safe. Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth all tied at 25th in the personal safety ranking. Peter Parks / AFP
    10th: Sydney. All Australian cities are considered safe. Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth all tied at 25th in the personal safety ranking. Peter Parks / AFP
  • 9th: Copenhagen. A number of key or capital cities rank considerably lower as many suffered either terrorist attacks or social unrest in the last few years; examples include Paris (71), London (72), Madrid (84), and Athens (124). The recent political and economic turmoil in Greece, which resulted in violent demonstrations in Athens and other cities in the country, has undermined its safety ranking. Kiev (189), St. Petersburg (197), and Moscow (206) rank lowest for personal safety in the region. Freya Ingrid Morales / Bloomberg
    9th: Copenhagen. A number of key or capital cities rank considerably lower as many suffered either terrorist attacks or social unrest in the last few years; examples include Paris (71), London (72), Madrid (84), and Athens (124). The recent political and economic turmoil in Greece, which resulted in violent demonstrations in Athens and other cities in the country, has undermined its safety ranking. Kiev (189), St. Petersburg (197), and Moscow (206) rank lowest for personal safety in the region. Freya Ingrid Morales / Bloomberg
  • 8th: Geneva. Pictured, people on a pedalo enjoy the sunshine on Lake Geneva. EPA
    8th: Geneva. Pictured, people on a pedalo enjoy the sunshine on Lake Geneva. EPA
  • 7th: Frankfurt. Pictured, the new headquarters of the European Central Bank. Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters
    7th: Frankfurt. Pictured, the new headquarters of the European Central Bank. Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters
  • 6th: Dusseldorf. Martin Gerten / EPA
    6th: Dusseldorf. Martin Gerten / EPA
  • 5th: Vancouver. Pictured. the BC place stadium where the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics official ceremonies took place. Canadian cities all rank high for personal safety, with Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver sharing 16th place, whereas no US cities make the top 50. Mark Blinch / Reuters
    5th: Vancouver. Pictured. the BC place stadium where the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics official ceremonies took place. Canadian cities all rank high for personal safety, with Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver sharing 16th place, whereas no US cities make the top 50. Mark Blinch / Reuters
  • 4th: Munich. Pictured, an aerial view from Marienplatz. istockphoto.com
    4th: Munich. Pictured, an aerial view from Marienplatz. istockphoto.com
  • 3rd: Auckland. Pictured, the Auckland Harbour and the Volvo Ocean Race Village from the Sky Tower. “New Zealand cities illustrate a stable infrastructure, increased availability of housing on the city fringe and life-style choices that are particularly appealing to the younger generation and this is all good news in terms of NZ based companies attracting international talent," said Lorraine Jennings, Mercer’s global mobility practice leader in Australia and New Zealand. Victor Fraile / Volvo Ocean Race
    3rd: Auckland. Pictured, the Auckland Harbour and the Volvo Ocean Race Village from the Sky Tower. “New Zealand cities illustrate a stable infrastructure, increased availability of housing on the city fringe and life-style choices that are particularly appealing to the younger generation and this is all good news in terms of NZ based companies attracting international talent," said Lorraine Jennings, Mercer’s global mobility practice leader in Australia and New Zealand. Victor Fraile / Volvo Ocean Race
  • 2nd: Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich was also ranked joint second for safety along with Bern and Helsinki. Luxembourg was top for safety. Gianluca Colla/Bloomberg
    2nd: Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich was also ranked joint second for safety along with Bern and Helsinki. Luxembourg was top for safety. Gianluca Colla/Bloomberg
  • 1st: Vienna. Despite economic uncertainties, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide, Mercer said. Vienna continues to lead the ranking and has done so in the last seven published rankings. Ronald Zak / AP Photo
    1st: Vienna. Despite economic uncertainties, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide, Mercer said. Vienna continues to lead the ranking and has done so in the last seven published rankings. Ronald Zak / AP Photo

Business

World’s top cities for quality of living 2016 – in pictures

Mark Asquith

February 23, 2016

  • English
  • Arabic

Mercer’s 2016 annual Quality of Living survey is calculated using 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories. These include political and social environment, schools and education, housing, medical and health considerations and natural environment.

DubaiAbu DhabiEconomyTechnology