Beirut scored 54.6 points in 2010, up five percent from 2009, improving its ranking by three spots. Still, the 54.6-score remains well below the global average score which stands at 75.5 points, and comes even below the MENA-average score of 62 points and the Arab region’s-average score of 61.7 points.

Scores of cities on the Mercer’s quality of living scale are determined according to 39 parameters grouped into ten categories.

Those include the political environment in a country, economic and socio-cultural factors, the environmental conditions, healthcare, and education services provided, as well as housing and recreation factors, among others.

None of the cities included in the study from the Middle East and North Africa region managed to occupy any of the top 50 positions.

Beirut came in the 16th place in the region.15 cities from the MENA region have beaten Beirut in the rankings. Some of them were Libya’s-Tripoli (15th place; score:55.5), Riyadh (13th place: score: 59.6), Cairo (12th place: score:71.9), and Amman (11th place: score:72.4).

Beirut came straight ahead of Damascus. It surpassed Djibouti in its ranking, Algeria, Sanaa, Khartoum, and Baghdad. Baghdad came in 222nd position, at the bottom of the list, as the city with the worst quality of living conditions worldwide.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi scored the two-highest counts among MENA countries gaining the first and second positions respectively. Globally, Dubai was 75th while Abu Dhabi’s ranked 83rd.

Vienna got the top rank as the city with the best quality of living, followed by Zurich and Geneva which followed in second and third position.