The Austrian capital Vienna offers its residents the best quality of life of any city in the world, while the Iraqi capital Baghdad ranks the lowest, according to the latest research by the consulting group Mercer.
Vienna, with its 1.7 million inhabitants, tops the list for the fourth consecutive year due to its strong cultural scene as well as comprehensive healthcare and moderately but increasingly high housing prices. Its lavish architecture from the Habsburg era makes it a magnet for tourists. Reliable public transport costs only 1 euro a day for an annual pass in this city governed by social democrats and the Greens.
Mercer conducts its annual survey to help companies and organizations assess salaries for their staff abroad. The survey uses 39 factors such as political stability, healthcare, education, crime, recreation, and transportation.
Despite the debt crisis, Europe has 15 of the 25 highest-ranked cities in the world in the 2012 survey. Germany and Switzerland each have three cities among the top 10. The lowest-ranked city in Western Europe at 83rd place is the Greek capital Athens, which is struggling with severe economic troubles. “European cities generally continue to have a high quality of life as a result of a combination of increased stability, rising living standards, and advanced urban infrastructure,” said Slagin Paraktil, a senior researcher at Mercer.
