Germany ranks high in the list of world's least stressful cities

A new 2017 study has revealed the world's least stressful cities based on factors such as traffic levels, public transport, percentage of green spaces, financial status of citizens, their debt levels, physical and mental health, and the hours of sunlight the city gets per year.

The UK-based dry-cleaning and laundry service Zipjet conducted the study of 500 locations based on data relating to 17 categories covering infrastructure, pollution levels, finance and citizens' wellbeing. This determined a ranking of 150 cities with available data on all factors relating to the study.

Of the 150 cities ranked, four out of the top ten least stressful cities are in Germany. The southern city of Stuttgart is first, with Hanover in third place, Munich in fifth place and Hamburg in joint ninth place with Graz, Austria.

Stuttgart has a strong local economy and scores most in the study for the highest percentage of green spaces within the city limits. The city is spread across a range of hills and valleys, some covered with vineyards.

The tiny yet wealthy country of Luxembourg, home to fewer than 600,000 people, has the second-lowest stress levels. Luxembourg has the lowest population density after Kuwait City, and Sydney and Melbourne in Australia are also relatively uncrowded urban spaces.

Bern, Switzerland is fourth, while Bordeaux, France (No. 6) and Edinburgh, UK (No. 7) also make it to the top of the charts. Sydney, Australia (No.8) is the only non-European city in the top ten, while Seattle is the least stressful city in America.

Residents of Singapore and Taipei are most satisfied with their cities' public transport, while Leipzig, Germany and Montpelier, France have the lowest levels of traffic congestion.

Abu Dhabi was judged the most safe place to live by its citizens, with Osaka, Japan in second place, based on the official average rates of theft and murder weighted against United Nations data on the local perception of security per capita.

North America was top in terms of low air pollution levels, with Miami, Seattle, Vancouver and Boston the least polluted cities. Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, has the lowest noise pollution, while Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Reykjavik have the lowest light pollution.

Phnom Penh in Cambodia has the lowest official unemployment rates and Brunei's Bandar Seri Begawan has the lowest debt per capita, but the real measure of a city's financial health is in the Family Purchasing Power category, which balances average household salaries with the cost of living. Munich was top in the Family Purchasing Power category, followed by Luxembourg, Sydney, Monaco and Stuttgart.

Athens scored best in the Social Security category. Luxembourg, Bordeaux and Graz performed best in the Mental Health category, while Reykjavik has the best record for Physical Health. The Icelandic capital Reykjavik was also top in gender equality.

American cities San Francisco, Boston and Seattle were in the top three places in the world in the race equality category, based on data from a World Bank ethnic inequality report.

Large cities such as London (No. 70), Tokyo (No. 72), and Paris (No. 78) were in the middle of the list of least stressful cities, with New York (No. 84) being the most stressful of the big four global cities.

The most liveable city is Melbourne, Australia, and the world’s happiest country is Norway. But Sydney, Vancouver, and Melbourne are also some of the world’s most expensive cities.  

The world's least stressful cities are:

1. Stuttgart, Germany

2. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

3. Hanover, Germany

4. Bern, Switzerland

5. Munich, Germany

6. Bordeaux, France

7. Edinburgh, UK

8. Sydney, Australia

9. (tie) Graz, Austria and Hamburg, Germany

The world's most stressful cities are:

1. Baghdad, Iraq

2. Kabul, Afghanistan

3. Lagos, Nigeria

4. Dakar, Senegal

5. Cairo, Egypt

6. Tehran, Iran

7. Dhaka, Bangladesh

8. Karachi, Pakistan

9. New Delhi, India

10. Manila, Philippines

For the full results and methodology, visit the Zipjet site.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).