University of Zurich

Swiss cities dominated the list of 215 centres ranked according to quality of life, with Geneva tying Sydney for fourth place and Bern finishing 10th, in the annual survey by human resources consultancy William M. Mercer. Retaining the unwelcome distinction of the world's worst city in which to live was Brazzaville, Congo.

Thirty-nine key criteria¹ were used to judge cities' desirability, including the political, economic, natural and socio-cultural environments, healthcare, education, housing, transport, shopping and recreation.

New York was used as the baseline for comparison. The Big Apple finished 41st, equal with London, Washington, Boston, Chicago and Madrid.

"Though the world's living standards have risen slightly since last year, the gap between cities at the top and the bottom of the table is still large," said Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer.

"The basic comforts of life, hygiene² and personal safety are the main differentiators, and these are often lacking in developing countries. The gap is magnified by economic and political instability," he said.

Rounding out the top 10 were Frankfurt, Helsinki, Auckland and Copenhagen, while scraping bottom were Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at 209, and Baghdad at 211.

In the environmental stakes, Calgary, Canada, finished top while pollution-choked Mexico City ranked last.