| Personal safety key to best locations |
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| Tuesday, 10 June 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 The lowest ranking European city is Minsk (183) in Belarus. Minsk scores 49.4 on the index compared with Zurich’s 108. Milan (41), Lisbon (44), Vilnius (78) and Riga (89) have also become more attractive destinations, rising markedly in the rankings since 2007. The rankings of Bern, Geneva and Zurich, all at 2, confirm Switzerland’s position as one of the safest countries in Europe. According to the index, Luxembourg, the European city with the highest level of personal safety, scores 131.4. This is in stark contrast with Moscow, the European city scoring the lowest at 37.7 (196). In the UK, Glasgow (43) and Birmingham (53) rank safer than London (69). Europe dominates the list in terms of infrastructure, health and political stability. “Large discrepancies continue to exist within this region. Living standards in Eastern European cities have been catching up with Western European cities,” Parakatil said. Middle East and Africa Cape Town (80) in South Africa and Port Louis in Mauritius are the region’s cities with the best quality of living followed by Dubai (83) and Abu Dhabi (87). In contrast, Johannesburg slips from 90 in 2007 to 94 in 2008 and Harare in Zimbabwe slips from 168 in 2007 to 174. Out of the 25 lowest ranking cities, 19 are from Africa including Lagos (198), Port Harcourt (207) and Bangui (214). Two are from the Middle East including Sanaa (207) and Baghdad (215) – the city with the world’s lowest quality of living and lowest levels of personal safety. Cape Town scores 87.9 compared to Baghdad’s 13.5. For personal safety, apart from Baghdad, Kinshasa is the worst location, ranked 214, and Nairobi (212). Lagos and Port Harcourt rank equally at 209. Jerusalem and Beirut both rank 199 and Harare 184. Abu Dhabi (33) is the region’s best city for personal safety, followed by Dubai (47), Port Louis (60). Lusaka and Manama rank equally at (118). According to the personal safety index, Abu Dhabi scores 112 against Baghdad’s 3.8. Parakatil said that several regions of the Middle East had benefited enormously from government investment in infrastructure, health and sanitation and were rising up the rankings. Personal safety and political tensions remain stumbling blocks, however, and account for the low ranking of many of the region’s cities. Multinationals often compensate for this by increasing compensation levels and other benefits for their employees. Asia Pacific Auckland (5) is the city in Asia Pacific with the best quality of living, followed by Sydney (10) and Wellington (12). Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore (32) ranks two places higher than in 2007, slightly higher than Japanese cities such as Tokyo (35). Hong Kong and Beijing retain their 2007 rankings, respectively 70 and 116 in 2008. Bangalore (140) is India’s most highly ranked city followed closely by Mumbai (142). Both have seen a marked improvement in their rankings since 2007. Elsewhere in Asia, Kuala Lumpur ranks 75, followed by Taipei (84), Seoul (86), Bangkok (109) and Jakarta (146). According to the index, Auckland, the city with the best quality of living in Asia Pacific, scores 107.3 while Dhaka, the city with the region’s worst quality of living, scores 38.9. For personal safety, Pakistan is one of the lowest-scoring destinations with Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore ranked 213, 203 and 192 respectively. Colombo in Sri Lanka appears at 204 while Dhaka (201), Jakarta (189) and Manila (178) are amongst the region’s cities scoring lowest on personal safety. Singapore is the region’s best location for personal safety, scoring 120.2 compared to Karachi’s 25.3. “Increased political stability and the growth of China and India have led to a broad improvement in the quality of living for expatriates in some of the major cities,” Parakatil concluded. Border conflicts and internal issues, combined with high levels of crime, make many other countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia less appealing relocation destinations. Related articles
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