Quality of living: Vienna remains No. 1

Vienna has maintained its leading position in the annual Mercer Quality of Living ranking.

As in 2010, the Austrian federal capital tops the worldwide 2011 Quality of Living ranking published by international consulting firm Mercer. Zurich (Switzerland) and Auckland (New Zealand) were ranked second and third, with Munich following in fourth place, and Dusseldorf and Vancouver sharing the fifth rank. Most of the 25 top-ranking cities are in Europe. Among the cities with the lowest quality of living are the capitals of Chad (N'Djamena), the Central African Republic (Bangui), and Iraq (Bagdad).

Criteria

The Mercer study is based on 39 criteria assessed by expatriate staff working in the respective city. It takes into account political, social, economic and environmental aspects, as well as a number of further factors like personal safety and public services in various fields, e.g. healthcare, education and training, or traffic and transport.

The results of the annual study are a valuable source of information and decision-making aid for governments and international businesses sending staff abroad.

Personal Safety: Vienna among top 5 cities

Mercer's separate Personal Safety ranking was topped by Luxembourg this year, followed by the cities of Bern, Helsinki and Zurich. Vienna was ranked fifth in this category.

Mercer's 2011 Quality of Living ranking highlights - Global

Mercer

With about 20.000 staff based in over 40 different nations, Mercer counts among leading global providers of consulting, outsourcing and investment services.