Scottish cities offer best quality of life in the UK

• Bern, Switzerland lands first place position for quality of life, after Copenhagen’s three-year reign at the top
• Rotterdam, Netherlands enters top 10 most liveable cities in the world for European expats for the first time, overtaking Dublin (11th)
• Scottish cities are among the most attractive in the UK as Edinburgh ranks 17th and Aberdeen 21st most liveable in the world
• Canada back on destination ‘hit list’, outperforming European locations London, Barcelona and Berlin
• All 15 ranked Chinese cities plummet due to Zero-Covid restrictions throughout 2022

The quality of life for European expats in Australian cities is back to pre-pandemic status, while all 15 ranked cities in China have fallen down the liveability ranking, according to the latest annual Location Ratings Report from global mobility expert, ECA International (ECA).

Bern is the most liveable city in the world for European expats, while improved availability of expatriate housing has aided Rotterdam, Netherlands (8th) in climbing five places to enter the top 10 most desirable locations.

Edinburgh, Scotland (17th) is the most attractive UK city for European expats, followed closely by Aberdeen (21st). Both cities benefit from the infrastructural and cultural perks of a larger city, including a large expat community, without the associated downside of higher pollution and crime rates. Elsewhere in the UK, London (39th) climbs three places and re-enters the top 40 for the first time in four years, with personal security scores improving as expatriates generally feel safer now in residential areas and on main streets.

ECA’s Location Ratings objectively evaluate cities around the world to form an assessment of the overall quality of living for expats in over 500 locations across the globe. The ranking is based on a variety of liveability factors including availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and recreational and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; socio-political tensions and air quality.

Most Canadian cities have performed well in this year’s ranking, making Canada the most appealing non-European country for European expats. Toronto (23rd), Vancouver (32nd) and Montreal (36th) all outperformed European destinations Berlin (37th), London (39th), Paris (42nd) and Barcelona (51st) despite geographical distance from Europe.

Neil Ashman, Senior Location Ratings Analyst at ECA International, said: “Canada continues to rank highly since pandemic restrictions were removed. For instance, Toronto’s ban on inside-dining was among the longest worldwide, which contributed to the city falling out of the top 20 most liveable locations in the world. Pandemic controls in Canada were very strict, upending thousands of expatriates’ lives. However, the removal of these restrictions in Toronto and elsewhere has unsurprisingly made the country more liveable for Europeans. Praised for its multi-culturalism, exceptional infrastructure and healthcare system, Canada is a renowned favourite for European expats.”

Australia is once again among the top-ranking countries in the world for quality of life thanks to the lifting of Covid-19 related restrictions on recreational facilities and international travel. Ending some of the toughest pandemic rules in the world in 2022, New Zealand’s Auckland (47th) makes a return to the top 50, after falling from 33rd place to 58th in 2021. Melbourne (55th) and Canberra (52nd) leapt up 11 and 10 places, respectively – reclaiming their position as familiar favourites for European expats. Likewise, Adelaide (59th), Perth and Sydney (tied 74th) climbed 7 and 6 places.

At the time of analysis*, China’s Zero-Covid policy rendered most Chinese cities considerably less liveable for European expats. Falling by 16 places from last year’s ranking, Shanghai (159th) saw the biggest drop in liveability after Ukraine and Russia, the lowest it has ranked. Beijing follows a similar path, down six places in 2022 and landing 168th place. Other Chinese locations to see the next biggest drop were Zhengzhou (240th), Xi'an (202nd), and Tianjin (joint 197th with Wuhan), which dropped 10, 9 and 8 places respectively.

Hong Kong’s liveability also declined in 2022. Ashman said: “Increasingly aligned with mainland China, Hong Kong’s appointment of a staunchly pro-Beijing figure to the post of Chief Executive in 2022 has further threatened democratic processes in the city. While political rights and freedom of expression will continue to be at risk in 2023, both in Hong Kong and in mainland China, we would expect to see some reversal of these falls in the rankings next year if the lifting of draconian Covid-19 policies, as of December 2022, is maintained.”

Once on par with Moscow, quality of life in war-torn Ukraine sees unparalleled decline

Kyiv, Ukraine’s ranking declined by 67 places, the most dramatic deterioration of any city in the history of ECA International’s Location Ratings, following Russia’s invasion in early 2022. Unsurprisingly, the personal safety and socio-political tension categories are the most significant contributors to Kyiv’s lower liveability in the past year, while a lack of civilian international flights, affecting the external isolation score, and risk to mental health are also major factors for European expats. Shortages of certain items, a disrupted energy infrastructure and reduced expatriate community are also contributing factors. Now ranking 223rd, ECA has moved Kyiv into a higher location allowance band, which global mobility teams utilise when setting salary packages for international assignments.

Ashman continued: “While we’ve often analysed countries where conflict has recently erupted, the immediate impact of these conflicts on a city’s liveability ranking tended to be less pronounced because socio-political tensions existed for a number of years beforehand, and living conditions were already at a significant disadvantage. Ukraine’s situation is less common because of its positive trajectory in the immediate years ahead of Russia’s invasion. In fact, Kyiv ranked 155th in 2020, higher than St Petersburg as well as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and it scored well for external accessibility and near-top marks for expatriate community pre-invasion.

“Kyiv’s rank at 223rd is now comparable to other locations that are experiencing conflict, like Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (255th), a dramatic drop from previous years. The war’s impact on overall liveability has been more pronounced in Kyiv with the biggest score decline we’ve recorded. Kyiv’s trajectory pre-war seemed likely to follow that of its Eastern European counterparts, who are today enjoying higher positions in the rankings owing to years of positive growth and investment,” Ashman added.

Eastern European destinations Tbilisi, Georgia (138th) and Warsaw, Poland (80th) are up in the liveability ranking this year, rising by 12 and seven places respectively, higher than even pre-COVID years when Tbilisi ranked 176th and Warsaw ranked 84th (2019). Despite ongoing conflict in neighbouring Ukraine, infrastructure and access to healthcare are better now in both cities than two years ago, and the easing of Covid restrictions has also contributed to greater liveability.

Expats in Russia face hostility and serious mental health challenges

Sanctions have negatively impacted access to banking and availability of healthcare and medicine in Moscow (186th) and St Petersburg (189th), Russia – which have both fallen by a whopping 41 and 35 places respectively from last year’s ranking. Russia’s tightened grip on freedom of expression, increased propaganda and surveillance has caused the expat community to diminish, while those who remain in Russian territory report difficult conditions and increased risks to mental health.

Ashman added: “While there is currently little threat from bombs and missiles to expatriates in Russian cities, major sanctions on Russia has led to a shortage of goods, including aeroplane parts for domestic flights, which affects internal isolation. We have also noticed expatriates are more conscious of the impact on their mental health, many experiencing hostility from the authorities and even the local population. Expatriates have reported that they try to keep a low profile, in some cases not speaking out loud in public in case their foreign accent is detected.”

Access to ECA’s Location Ranking data helps businesses ascertain appropriate allowances to compensate employees for the adjustment required when going on international assignment, taking into account both the home and host locations of the expatriate.

How the top 20 most liveable locations for European expatriates have changed over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic