Madrid, with position 46, and Barcelona, with position 48, are among the 50 cities with the best quality of life in the world, according to the 2023 Quality of Life Index prepared by the consulting firm Mercer.
The ranking, which evaluates the practical aspects of daily life for workers and their families in many of the most frequent destinations, has placed the cities of Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland) and Auckland in the top three positions. (New Zealand).
Likewise, seven of the top 10 cities are located in Europe. In addition to Vienna and Zurich, Copenhagen (Denmark, fourth place in the ranking), Geneva (Switzerland, fifth position) and Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf in Germany (sixth, seventh and tenth place, respectively) stand out.
The ranking of the 10 cities with the best quality of life is completed by Auckland (New Zealand, third position), Vancouver (Canada, eighth) and Sydney (Australia, ninth).
Regarding the Spanish cities that appear among the first 50 cities, Madrid has improved one position compared to the last edition of the index in 2020, when its preparation was interrupted by the covid pandemic. For its part, Barcelona has fallen from the 45th position it occupied in the last ranking.
By region, the index highlights Vancouver (eighth overall) as the best-ranked city in North America; San Francisco (California, position 37), on the other hand, is the first city in the United States, while Montevideo (Uruguay, 89) is the first in Latin America.
Dubai (79th overall) and Abu Dhabi (84th) in the United Arab Emirates lead the Middle East rankings. Port Louis, Mauritius (88th overall) is close behind, with the best quality of life in Africa. Singapore is positioned as the first Asian city and 29th in the general classification. Finally, the highest ranked city in the Pacific is Auckland (3rd overall).
Mercer explains that it has expanded its ranking by developing a classification of the most environmentally friendly cities. Canberra (Australia) takes the top spot, reflecting its strong performance across several sustainability indicators. Oslo (Norway), Adelaide (Australia), Helsinki (Finland) and Ottawa (Canada) tie for second place for their recent efforts in sustainable development.
The consulting firm also details that to carry out the Quality of Life Index, it evaluates local living conditions in more than 450 cities surveyed around the world.
In addition, Mercer explains, living conditions are analyzed based on 39 factors, grouped into 10 categories: political and social environment, economic environment, sociocultural environment, medical and health aspects, schools and education, public services and transportation, leisure, social goods. consumption, housing and natural environment.
It also notes that the data collected reflects that countries with a high quality of life provide their citizens with access to excellent healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services.
On the other hand, it indicates that many developing countries face numerous challenges that impact the quality of life of their population. Issues such as poverty, inadequate health systems, limited access to education, political instability and social inequality contribute to reducing the standard of living in these regions.
"It is important to note that the current global landscape is marked by geopolitical turmoil, natural disasters and economic volatility, which have significant implications for cities and their ability to attract and retain talent. Therefore, at Mercer we developed this index to help in the decision-making of entrepreneurs and their workers," comments the leader of Mercer Spain's human capital consulting area, Juanvi Martínez.
