Luxembourg ranks as the world´s top city for personal safety and security, according to a quality-of-life survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The city scores 122.5 followed by Helsinki, Bern, Geneva, and Zurich, which place second with scores of 120.

Scores for personal safety and security are based on relationships with other countries, internal stability, and crime, including terrorism. Law enforcement, censorship, and limitations on personal freedom are also taken into account.*

Cities are ranked against New York as the base city which has a rating of 100. The analysis is part of a worldwide quality-of-life survey covering 215 cities to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.

The Japanese cities of Omuta, Kastuyama, Tsukuba, and Yokkaichi score highest in Asia (all in 14th place with scores of 112.5), while Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver rank top in North America, in 18th place (score 112).

"Cities ranking high for personal safety and security are in politically stable countries which have good relations with other countries," says Rebecca Powers, an international consultant in Mercer´s San Francisco office. "Those cities ranking low are in countries experiencing political turmoil and high levels of crime."

The world´s least secure city is Baghdad (Iraq), with a score of 5, due to ongoing civil unrest and threats of attack in the city. Other low-ranking cities include Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, Bangui in Central African Republic, and Port Harcourt and Lagos in Nigeria, which score 24, 26.5, 32.5, and 32.5, respectively. These countries continue to experience political turmoil and low economic growth.

Western Europe  

Many Western European cities appear at the top of the rankings. Luxembourg scores highest for personal safety and security followed by Swiss and Scandinavian cities. Other high-scoring cities include Vienna, ranked 6th with a score of 116, followed by Düsseldorf, Munich, Nürnberg, Frankfurt, and Oslo sharing 8th place with scores of 113.

In contrast, Athens, Rome, and London appear at the lower end of the rankings for this region, at positions 83, 74, and 69, respectively (score 93.5, 95.5, and 99), due to high levels of petty crime. Madrid also scores relatively low, sharing 69th place with London, due to terrorism.

Eastern Europe

Eastern European cities generally rank lower than those in Western Europe. Ljubljana in Slovenia scores highest for personal safety and security, in 41st place with a rating of 105, followed by Bratislava in Slovakia and Prague in the Czech Republic, both in 58th place with scores of 100.

Russian cities also score poorly due to high crime rates, economic turmoil, and lack of internal stability. Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kazan, and St. Petersburg place 198, 179, 179, and 175, respectively with scores of 41.5, 52.5, 52.5, and 53.5.

North America 

All of the Canadian cities covered by the survey appear in the top 20 rankings for personal safety and security. Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver rank 18th with scores of 112.

In the US, Honolulu, Houston, San Francisco, and Winston-Salem rank highest in 45th place with scores of 104. Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, and New York all follow in 58th place with scores of 100. The lowest-scoring city in North America is Atlanta, ranked 90 with a score of 90.5, due to street crime and burglary.  In Mexico, Monterrey and Mexico City rank 87 and 126, scoring 92 and 72.5, respectively.

South America

Cities in South America end up much lower in the rankings than those in North America. Growing unemployment and political instability in these regions have led to high crime levels.

Santiago in Chile ranks highest in 94th place with a score of 90. Buenos Aires in Argentina ranks 115 with a score of 77.5, while Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil rank 148th and 167th, respectively (with scores of 63.5 and 56). Bogot¡ and Medellin in Colombia and Caracas in Venezuela rank lowest in positions 210, 205, and 193, respectively (with scores of 33, 37.5, and 48) due to crime, including kidnappings.

According to Ms. Powers, "As globalization increases, security and good international relations become more critical to overall quality of living standards around the world."

Rankings for overall quality of life

Mercer´s overall quality-of-life survey has revealed that Geneva and Zurich remain the world´s top-scoring cities with 106.5 points. Other high-scoring cities include Vancouver and Vienna in third place (score 106).

Cities in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia continue to rank high. Munich and Düsseldorf both move up the rankings, from 10th and 12th place, respectively, to share fifth place with Frankfurt. Munich´s rise is due to more efficient waste removal systems and better housing for expatriates while Düsseldorf´s transportation and standards of international schooling have improved. Bern, Copenhagen, and Sydney are down slightly ranking 8th with scores of 105.

In the US, Honolulu and San Francisco rank highest in 25th place (score 102) due to lower crime levels than other US cities. Boston, New York, Portland, and Washington follow in 36th, 39th, 42nd, and 42nd places, respectively (scores 100.5, 100, 99, and 99). Houston ranks lowest in 68th place.

The analysis was based on an evaluation of 39 quality-of-life criteria for each city, including political, social, economic and environmental factors; personal safety and health; education; transportation; and other public services.

Baghdad remains the world´s least attractive city for expatriates. Its low score (14.5) is due to the recurring threat of attacks against people, multinational organizations, and government institutions in the area. Other poor-scoring cities for overall quality of life include Bangui in the Central African Republic (score 29), Brazzaville in Congo (score 29.5), and Khartoum in Sudan (score 31).

*Notes to editors:  Data was largely collected between September and November 2004 and is updated regularly to take into account changing circumstances. In particular, the assessments will be revised in the case of any new developments.

The worldwide rankings are produced from the most recent worldwide quality-of-life survey, conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Individual reports are produced for each city surveyed. Please note that there is no overall summary report available. The cost of comparative quality-of-life indexes between a base city and a host city is $300 (multiple city comparisons are available). Further information and copies of the reports are available from Mercer Global Information Services at 800 333 3070 or at www.imercer.com/qol.

The covered topic in 2005, ´personal safety and security,´ is based on an evaluation of six criteria which have been drawn from the overall quality-of-life survey. New York has been used as the base score for quality of life with a score of 100 points.

Mercer´s study is based on detailed assessments and evaluations of 39 key quality of life determinants, grouped in the following categories:

·        Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc.)

·        Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services, etc.)

·        Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc.)

·        Medical and health considerations (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc.)

·        Schools and education (standard and availability of schools, etc.)

·        Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc.)

·        Recreation (restaurants, theaters, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc.)

·        Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc.)

·        Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc.)

·        Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters)

Mercer Human Resource Consulting, one of the world´s leading consulting organizations, helps employers create measurable business results through their people. With more than 14,000 employees serving clients from some 145 cities in 41 countries and territories worldwide, the company is part of Mercer Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., which lists its stock (ticker symbol: MMC) on the New York, Chicago, Pacific, and London stock exchanges. Website: www.mercerHR.com.