OTTAWA -- Vancouver is the third-best city in the world in which to live, behind only Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland, according to an annual quality-of-life survey of more than 200 cities.
Yet all of the Canadian cities surveyed are highly ranked, with Toronto in 14th spot, Ottawa 20th, Montreal 22nd and Calgary 25th, Mercer Human Resource Consulting said in releasing its latest annual survey results.
Vancouver's third-place ranking was unchanged from last year. Toronto edged up one spot in the rankings, Montreal rose two spots, Calgary was down one, and Ottawa was unchanged.
"Climate," is what gives Vancouver the edge over the other Canadian cities, Mercer spokeswoman Danielle Bushen said in an interview from Toronto, adding that otherwise there's very little difference among the Canadian cities in the quality of life.
In the U.S., the highest-rated cities are Honolulu and San Francisco, tied in 25th spot with Calgary, while Houston, in 68th spot ranks lowest.
The annual ranking of 215 cities is based on 39 quality-of-life criteria, including political and social environment, medical and health considerations, education, public services and transportation, housing and natural environment, and safety and security.
The five Canadian cities covered in the survey shared 18th position for personal safety and security and were the only North American cities in the top 20 in this category. Safety and security are a key reason that Canadian cities rank higher than U.S. cities in the overall quality of life, Bushen said.
The report highlighted the safety and security criteria of cities in this year's report because it's an issue that's on people's minds around the world, she said.
Globally, Canadian cities are ranked high for a variety of other reasons, including a relatively good environment, transportation, sports and leisure activities, personal freedom and freedom of the press, she said.
Luxembourg was the top city in terms of safety, which includes relationships with other countries, internal stability and crime, including terrorism, law enforcement, censorship and limitations on personal freedom.
"The top-ranking cities for personal safety and security are in politically stable countries with good international relations and sustainable economic growth," it said. "Most of the low-scoring cities are in countries with civil unrest, little law enforcement and high levels of crime.
"The world's least secure city is Baghdad ... due to ongoing civil unrest and threats of attack in the city," the report said.
"Other low-ranking cities include Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, Bangui in Central African Republic and Port Harcourt and Lagos in Nigeria," it said, noting that those countries also continue to experience political turmoil and low economic growth.
The survey results are used by governments, major companies and organizations to place employees on international assignments, it said
