World's best places to live - Asia's mega-cities fare the worst

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Can't beat quality of life in Scandinavia, says world ranking

 

Thu Sep 20, 11:18 AM ET

 

Nordic countries take the greatest care of their environment and their people,

according to a ranking published on Thursday by the publication Reader's Digest.

 

Finland comes top of the 141-nation list, followed by Iceland, Norway and

Sweden, and then Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Australia.

 

At the bottom of the list is Ethiopia, preceded by Niger, Sierra Leone, Burkina

Faso and Chad.

 

The United States comes in 23rd, China 84th and India 104th.

 

The ranking combines environmental factors, such as air and water quality,

respect for biodiversity and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as social

factors, such as gross domestic product, access to education, unemployment rate

and life expectancy.

 

The statistical basis is the UN's Human Development Index and the Environmental

Sustainability Index drawn up by Yale and Columbia universities and the World

Economic Forum.

 

European countries -- again, led by Scandinavia -- also top the Reader's Digest

assessment of 72 cities for their quality of life. The criteria for this include

public transport, parks, air quality, rubbish recycling and the price of

electricity.

 

The winner is Stockholm, followed by Oslo, Munich and Paris.

 

Asia's mega-cities fare the worst. At the bottom is Beijing, preceded by

Shanghai, Mumbai, Guangzhou and Bangkok.