These Are the Healthiest Cities in the World
What's the definition of a healthy city? A place with fresher air and little or no polution? What about where people simply take better care of themselves and have the means to do so? Or perhaps it's a place where people can speak freely and be who they are without fearing oppression?
For us, simply put, it's a place where everybody would want to live. Thankfully Mercer, one of the world's largest HR consultancy firms, releases an annual "Quality of Living Index," which looks at cities that provide the best quality of life. They factor in political, social and economic environments, medical and health issues, schools and education, housing, recreation and the natural environment. In a nutshell, these are the places you want to be.
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Singapore, Republic of Singapore
The island nation is one of the richest in the world, boasts high education and low crime rates. When can we go?
It also landed a spot on this year's list of the top 20 countries with the most billionaires. -
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Like Disneyland, it was dubbed one of the happiest places (to live) on earth. What was once a fishing village, Copenhagen has evolved into a city with strong urban flavour and culture and is famous for its work-life balance. Combine that with all the walking and biking done in the city, which makes for fewer gas emissions, and we all need to be here. -
Minneapolis-St. Paul, U.S.A.
The city spends twice the usual amount for parks, for children and grown-ups, giving it the highest rate of physical activity in the entire country. Bikes are also extensively used by the population, making it one of the top cities with the least amount of pollution. -
Calgary, Canada
In a recent study by the Conference Board of Canada that factored life satisfaction, population health, lifestyle and access to health-care services, this west coast city ranked high on the list. It's also Canada's cleanest city, so that might be enough for many to flock to Alberta. -
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Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
It's one of the world's most significant financial centres, and makes good use of its well-developed public transportation system. As far as actual health goes, the city has one of the highest numbers of registered doctors, many of which focus on traditional Chinese medicine, which takes a holistic approach to tackling an ailment. It must work since the life expectancy in the city is amongst the highest in the world, at 82.5 years.
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