For the eighth year in a row, Vancouver has taken top spot in North America in Mercer’s annual report ranking quality of living in cities around the world.
Globally, Vancouver ranks fifth in the world, after Vienna, Zurich, Auckland and Munich.
Four Canadian cities ranked higher than the highest-ranked U.S. city (San Francisco, 30th place): Vancouver, Toronto (15), Ottawa (19) and Montreal (21).
“Canada continues to be a desirable place to live and work for residents and expatriate employees alike,” said Gordon Frost, Mercer Canada partner and career business leader.
“Canada’s stable political and social environment continues to help sustain our high ranking and attract multinational corporations and their employees.”
Mercer’s annual study compares 231 cities around the world and ranks them based on their attractiveness to both expatriates and residents. In comparing the cities, the company uses 10 criteria:
- political and social environment: crime, law enforcement, social stability;
- economic environment: banking services, currency exchange regulations;
- socio-cultural environment: personal freedom, media freedom and censorship;
- medical and health considerations: infectious diseases, medical services, waste disposal, air pollution;
- schools and education: standards and availability of international schools;
- public services and transportation: utilities, water, traffic, transit;
- recreation: restaurants, entertainment, sports;
- consumer goods: availability of food and other consumables;
- housing: rental housing, furniture, appliances; and
- natural environment: climate, natural disasters.
The lowest-ranking global cities were Antananarivo, Dhaka, Ouagadougou, Dushambe and Abuja.
To view a complete list of cities and how they ranked, visit here.
@EmmaHampelBIV
