It’s no secret that Vancouver is a wonderful place to live, so it’s hardly surprising that it was ranked fifth best for quality of life among 230 cities globally, according to a list compiled by Mercer.
While the top 10 is largely dominated by Western European cities, Vancouver managed to slide in just behind Vienna, Zurich, Auckland, and Munich. Vancouver is the only North American city to break the top 10, and Toronto and Ottawa are the next highest ranking cities on the continent at number 15 and 17, respectively.
Mercer ranks quality of living based on internal stability, crime levels, performance of local law enforcement, and the home country’s relationship with other countries.
“Quality of living continues to be high in Canada with a stable political environment and positive social benefits, offering a very desirable and safe place to live and work for residents and expatriate employees,” says Mercer’s Gordon Frost.
“Our sustained high ranking is attractive to multinational corporations and their employees as they look to expand in Canada and provide significant opportunities to both Canadians and workers from abroad.”
Montreal appears on the list at number 23, and, despite all its economic woes, Calgary has taken the 32nd spot.
The highest ranking U.S. city was San Francisco, reaching number 28 on Mercer’s list. The lowest ranking North American cities include Mexico City at number 127 and Port-au-Prince at number 227.
Canadians cities ranked high for safety. Every Canadian city tied for 16th place, whereas no American cities made the top 50.
“Canada’s major cities continue to be much safer than every US counterpart. This is extremely appealing for ex-patriate employees looking to bring their families with them as they move abroad for work,” says Frost.
Here are the top 10 cities globally for quality of life:
- Vienna, Austria
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Munich, Germany
- Vancouver, Canada
- Dusseldorf, Germany
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Sydney, Australia
And the bottom 10, ranked from lowest to highest:
- Baghdad, Iraq
- Bangui, Central African Republic
- Sana’a, Yemen
- Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Khartoum, Sudan
- N’Djamena, Chad
- Damascus, Syria
- Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Conakry, Guinea
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