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2009 Quality of Life Index
194 countries ranked and rated to reveal the world’s best places to live in 2009
Be the first to hear about the 2010 Quality of Life Index and get a free report on the World's Top 10 Retirement Havens for 2009. Simply enter your email below to subscribe to International Living's free daily e-letter and we'll immediately send your free report.
France: The world’s best country
By the staff of International Living
For the fourth year running, France comes first in our annual Quality of Life Index.
In your IL magazine every month, we consider the countries around the world where you could live cheaper, pay less tax, enjoy better weather, take advantage of opportunities in emerging markets…places where you could start a new life, start a business, retire…
Learn everything you need to know about France
In International Living’s newly updated and hot-off-the presses France: The Owner’s Manual, you’ll find every last ounce of the information you need to make an informed decision about living, renting, investing, and buying a home in Europe’s most sophisticated and desirable country.
With over 200 pages, it was a mammoth undertaking. It’s no exaggeration to say that it would take you months—if not years—to uncover and get to grips with all this information yourself. For more information, see: www.internationalliving.com/franceom
Then, once a year, every January, we take a different perspective. We consider not only those places that offer particular and timely opportunities for the would-be expatriate…but nearly every nation on earth. This year, our survey looks at 194 countries.
To produce this annual Index we consider, for each of these countries, nine categories: Cost of Living, Culture and Leisure, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Health, Infrastructure, Safety and Risk, and Climate. This involves a lot of number crunching from “official” sources, including government websites, the World Health Organization, and The Economist, to name but a few.
Once the data is collected, we also take into account what our editors from all over the world have to say about our findings. These correspondents and colleagues are working and living in these countries themselves and give us a more realistic view of our official findings.
This year, as with the past three years, all our number-crunching, rating, and ranking landed France at the top of our Index. France scores high marks across the board…from its health care (84 points) to its infrastructure (90 points) to its safety rating (100 points). But the main appeal of living in France is arguably its lifestyle (its scores 85 points in our Culture and Leisure category).
France’s sensual allure leaves nobody untouched. Spend even a few months here and you will never again regard life in quite the same way.
As our European editor, Steenie Harvey said of her first visit to this country: “It was love at first sight. I can’t get enough of its culture, fashion, stunning architecture, and intoxicating history. As for the food and wine—well, even thinking about it makes me salivate.”
How the numbers are crunched
To rate and rank the 192 countries considered in this year’s Quality of Life Index , we took into account:
Cost of Living (15% of the final ranking). This is a guide to how much it will cost you to live in a style comparable to—or better than—the standard of living you’re likely enjoying in the U.S. Our primary source in this category is the U.S. State Department’s Index of Overseas Living Costs, used to compute cost-of-living allowances for a Western-style of living in various countries. We also consider each country’s income tax rates.
Culture and Leisure (10%). To calculate this score, we look at literacy rate, newspaper circulation per 1,000 people, primary and secondary school enrollment ratios, number of people per museum, and a subjective rating of the variety of cultural and recreational offerings.
Economy (15%). We consider interest rates, GDP, GDP growth rate, GDP per capita, the inflation rate, and GNP per capita to determine each country’s Economy score.
Environment (10%). To figure a country’s score in this category, we look at population density per square kilometer, population growth rate, greenhouse emissions per capita, and the percentage of total land that is protected .
Freedom (10%). Freedom House’s 2007 survey is the main source for these scores, with an emphasis on a citizen’s political rights and civil liberties.
Health (10%). In this category, we look at calorie consumption as a percentage of daily requirements, the number of people per doctor, the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people, the percentage of the population with access to safe water, the infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and public health expenditure as a percentage of a country’s GDP.
Infrastructure (10% ). To calculate a country’s Infrastructure score, we look at the length of railways, paved highways, and navigable waterways in each country, and equated these things to each country’s population and size. We also consider the number of airports, motor vehicles , telephones, Internet service providers, and cell phones per capita.
Safety and Risk (10%). For this category, we use the U.S. Department of State’s hardship Differentials and danger allowances, which are based on extraordinarily difficult, notably unhealthy, or dangerous living conditions.
Climate (10%). When deciding on a score for each country’s climate, we look at its average annual rainfall and average temperature…and consider its risk for natural disasters.
The French believe that every day is a pleasure to be slowly savored—and lingering at the dinner table for three hours in conversation isn’t considered abnormal. Family, friends, and good food are all vitally important to the French—and so is having enough time to appreciate them all.
The unsurpassed quality of life the French enjoy doesn’t have to cost astronomical amounts. Even in Paris, you can enjoy tasty two-course lunches for around $10—if you know where to go.
Tourists rarely investigate supermarkets. So here are some prices from a common French supermarket—taken in September, 2008.
In this current economic climate, you’re probably worried about how far your dollars will stretch if you buy property here. You may be surprised to learn that there is plenty of French property that doesn’t come with a ridiculous price tag. Whether you dream of a city pied-à-terre...or a rambling farmhouse among the sunflowers...or a village house wrapped in wisteria-hung memories of long ago, France is more than affordable. In fact, Americans are at an advantage with a favorable exchange rate. Today, a euro is worth $1.31. Six months ago, a 100,000-euro house for sale in France would have cost you $159,000. Today, the same house would cost you $132,000. That’s a 17% drop in six months—which means now is a good time to buy.
There are many parts of the country where habitable homes in storybook settings cost less than $100,000. We recently found farmhouses in a famous French wine-growing region selling for just $53,000. We also came across a lovely town an hour from Paris—where a two-bedroom apartment costs just $145,000.
Today, France is a buyer’s market. Owners are often willing to negotiate. In some cases, they’re dropping prices before it even gets to negotiation stage.
It’s true, some second-home owners are over-stretched. But unlike the property markets in the U.S., it’s unlikely you’ll ever witness the same property crash in France. Unlike in the U.S., France has never experienced a housing bubble—the property prices increased gradually, over many decades.
Even so, this is a good time to position yourself to take advantage of the situation. It’s certainly not a fire sale, but here are some recent price cuts:
But overall, the keyword is stability. France doesn’t experience unrealistic booms followed by an all-too-realistic bust. On the whole, it’s a mature market, not some highly-speculative “hot new destination” for gamblers.
Take Paris. Property prices for the city as a whole rose a healthy 8.7% in 2007, attracting as many investors as romantic dreamers. As a long-term investment, Paris property is low risk and has always appreciated steadily.
The fact is, nobody does quality of life quite like the French. And then there’s Paris—the most bewitching and beautiful city on earth. Stack it all up, and if quality of life is important to you, you’ll understand why we think France is the world’s best place to live.
Switzerland takes silver
Switzerland always scores high in our Index, and for the second year running this country comes in second place. Boasting a stable economy (it scores top marks in this category) and infrastructure that is renowned for its reliability and efficiency, Switzerland is also a beautiful country. Who isn’t charmed by the thought of a cozy alpine chalet or an elegant apartment overlooking a mirror-calm lake? In fact, Mercer’s 2008 “Quality of Living” survey names Zurich as the world’s best city with Geneva coming in third position (www.mercer.com). Generally, the standard of living in this country is high, the crime rates are low, and the currency is one of the world’s strongest.
Our sources
We used the following sources to compile the data for our 2009 Quality of Life Index:
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook; Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties; United States Department of Commerce; U.S. State Department; The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention; The Freedom House Survey; Statistical
Abstract of the United States; The World Factbook; The World Almanac and Book of Facts; The World Bank Atlas; Gale Country and World Rankings Reporter; U.S. Department of State Indexes of Living Costs Abroad, Quarters Allowances, and Hardship Differentials; The World Health Organization; UN Statistical Yearbook; The Economist World in Figures. We also used popular newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Time, and The Economist.
And, of course, we consulted letters from International Living subscribers and remembered the experiences of our contributing editors around the world.
As always, the north European counties feature prominently in our top 10: Luxembourg comes in fourth place, Belgium sixth, Germany eighth, and Denmark 10th. These countries score high marks in all categories and all boast excellent health care and infrastructure, little poverty, strong economies, and high levels of freedom.
The good life Down Under
Coming in fifth position this year is Australia. With its year-round sunshine and great big outdoors, Australia offers an active lifestyle. Plus, as an American, you still get value for your greenback. As we go to press, $1 buys you $1.52 Australian dollars. The cost of living is relatively low (Australia scores 57 points out of 100 in our Index), and the country has great infrastructure and health care…and it’s safe.
Another antipode outpost, and coming ninth in our Index this year, is New Zealand.
New Zealand is a stunning country and a great place to live, but it has its drawbacks—it’s a 12-hour flight from the States and, unless you are young and qualified in certain trades, there are restrictions on foreign residency. For more information on the rules for establishing residency in New Zealand, contact Malcolm Pacific, website: www.malcolmpacific.com.
Countries on our radar in 2009
Our Western bias
Our sources, staff, and contributing editors are all influenced by a Western bias. We have definite, preconceived ideas about what constitutes a high or low standard of living, what constitutes culture and entertainment, and what climate is the most enjoyable.
Please also remember that statistics obtained from official government sources are not always current, accurate, or re liable. And some statistics are highly subjective. What someone else might consider a museum, you and I might think of as a garden shed.
Other statistics may be estimated, outdated, or incorrect for any number of reasons .
Since the statistics we gathered don’t always reflect our own experiences, we sometimes interject a subjective factor to make the numbers better reflect reality. This is most often necessary in the “Leisure and Culture” category.
Italy (7th): Last year, our roving Europe editor, Steenie Harvey found a 752-square-foot house in a hill town in southern Italy that was ready to move into for $51,650. “This wasn’t a one-off,” Steenie says. “Properties to restore here started at just $15,000.” Steenie regularly scouts this country for property bargains. Watch out for more of her coverage this year.
Brazil (42nd): Our real estate expert Ronan McMahon and our Latin America editor Lee Harrison have traveled to Brazil on a number of occasions in the past year to bring you coverage of the amazing property deals you can find here. Just last month (see your December issue), Lee found beachfront properties in Brazil’s eastern point for just $32,500. Here you can read about the property bargains he found in the colonial town of Sao Luiz and the bustling city of Fortaleza.
Costa Rica (44th): With road improvements on the Costanera Highway underway and scheduled for completion in two to three years, we believe that property development in southern Costa Rica is on the move and now is a good time to buy here. Read more on this area in these pages in 2009.
Ecuador (49th): One of the cheapest places in the world to live and with one of the best climates, Ecuador has been on our radar for many years…and will be for many more to come. Just two months ago (see your November issue) we profiled a couple who live in the perfect retirement spot two hours north of Quito for less than $600 a month, including rent. This month we profile Gary and Merri Scott who live in the same beautiful Andean village—Cotacachi. In your February issue, Lee Harrison tells you about some of the best property deals in Coastal Ecuador.
The Final Scores
To see the complete scores for every country in every category, go to: www.qualityoflife2009.com.
Of course, we can’t ignore the fall of the U.S. economy in 2008 (in the economy category of our Index the U.S. fell from 89 points last year to 57 this year). We asked our investment experts to give us their analyses on the current economic crisis.
Be the first to hear about the 2010 Quality of Life Index and get a free report on the World's Top 10 Retirement Havens for 2009. Simply enter your email below to subscribe to International Living's free daily e-letter and we'll immediately send your free report.