Clean air, good facilities and low crime rates are among the benefits that make Copenhagen and Bern the most liveable cities in the world for European expats. Dutch and Swiss cities dominate the list with 4 entries each. Canada once again shines as the most liveable non-European country, according to the 2020 annual Location Ratings Report from global mobility expert, ECA International.
Eindhoven (fifth place) is the only city in the top-20 that improved its position compared to last year.
Cities around the world are evaluated annually by ECA on a variety of liveability factors including availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; political tensions and air quality.
“Pollution, crime rate and terrorism threats are among the factors that affect the liveability of major UK cities such as London, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow”, said Neil Ashman, Senior Location Ratings Analyst at ECA International. “Europeans relocating for work or looking to move abroad can expect a good quality of life in many locations in Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany or Norway; countries that dominate the top 20 of our rankings.”
Canadian cities score better
The Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver are the highest-ranked non-European locations on the list, beating major European capitals such as Madrid, Berlin and even London for liveability. “Despite the distance, Canadian cities have always provided a high quality of life for European expats, with consistently high scores putting its key cities above many of its European counterparts”, said Ashman.
“Cities in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Switzerland have consistently scored well for expat liveability. Excellent transport links, a high standard of healthcare and long-term political stability, mean that overseas workers from elsewhere in Europe can adapt to these locations with ease.”
ECA’s Location Ratings system evaluates a host of factors to form an assessment of the overall quality of living in over 490 locations worldwide.
