Skip to main content

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).


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...
2 comments
Read more