Top 10 cities for overall quality of living 1. Zurich 2. Geneva 3. Vancouver 4. Vienna 5. Auckland 6. Dusseldorf 7. Frankfurt 8. Munich 9. (tied) Bern, Sydney     Main Human Capital Perspective page   For more information    Contact Mercer

Mercer’s 2007 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey revealed that four of the world’s five top-scoring cities for health and sanitation are in North America. Calgary ranks top with a score of 131.7, followed by Honolulu, which scores 130.3. Helsinki – the only European city in the top five – follows closely in the rankings with a score of 128.5. Ottawa and Minneapolis take fourth and fifth places with scores of 127.2 and 125.7, respectively.

The lowest-ranking city for health and sanitation is Baku in Azerbaijan, which scores just 27.6. Other low-scoring cities include Dhaka in Bangladesh, Antananarivo in Madagascar and Port Au Prince in Haiti, which score 29.6, 30.1 and 34, respectively.

Scores are based on the quality and availability of hospital and medical supplies and levels of air pollution and infectious diseases. The efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems, water potability and the presence of harmful animals and insects are also taken into account. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city, which has an index score of 100.

The Worldwide Quality of Living Survey, which covers 215 cities, is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. The analysis is based on an evaluation of 39 quality-of-living criteria for each city, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transportation and other public services.

Mercer’s ranking for overall quality of living – which considers all 39 factors – has revealed that Zurich again ranks as the world’s top city, with a rating of 108.1. The city narrowly outranks Geneva, which scores 108. Vancouver and Vienna follow in joint third place with a score of 107.7.

Baghdad remains the world’s least enticing city for expatriates with a score of 14.5. Other low-scoring cities for overall quality of living include Brazzaville in Congo (29.5), Bangui in the Central African Republic (30.6) and Khartoum in Sudan (31).

Visit www.imercer.com/qolpr to learn more about the new study or to purchase reports.

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