Austria’s capital Vienna has done it again, topping the “Quality of Living City Ranking” for the eleventh time running. Second place went to Zurich (Switzerland), and third to Auckland (New Zealand).
In carrying out the study, the international consultancy firm Mercer compared quality of life in 241 major cities round the globe. The deciding factors here were standards in healthcare, political stability, the economic situation, the education system, the housing market and conservation of nature. To draw up the final rankings, Mercer supplemented data from institutions and authorities with an opinion poll of ex-pats.
The study has been carried out annually since 2009, pausing only during the COVID19 pandemic. A number of unforeseeable events have directly influenced the global economy over the last few years and thus also affected quality of life, causing employees to re-examine their priorities and redraw their work/life balance. Given this background, the capital's continued top ranking is particularly pleasing.
The Economist also publishes a similar ranking every summer. This year, Vienna once again achieved first place.
