If you want to go to work among trees and flowers, collect a good salary and enjoy a good quality of life, Germany seems to have some of the least stressful cities in the world to live in.
What are the least stressful cities in the world to live in? To elaborate on it, 500 locations were studied based on data related to 17 categories that cover infrastructure, pollution levels, finances, and citizen welfare.
The research has examined aspects such as traffic levels, public transport, the percentage of green spaces, the financial status of citizens, debt levels, physical and mental health, and the city’s daylight hours. For stress levels to below, a polluted, noisy and uncomfortable city is not the same as one in which parks, gardens, sustainable urban transport or cultural initiatives predominate.
Of the 150 cities examined, Germans seem to take the best part, since four of the ten stress-free cities are in Germany. The southern city of Stuttgart occupies the first place, with Hanover in third place, Munich in fifth place and Hamburg in ninth place together with Graz, (Austria). The winner shines for the financial and personal security offered to its citizens, its strong local economy and its generous vegetation.
The small but rich country of Luxembourg, home to less than 600,000 people, has the second-lowest level of stress. Bern in Switzerland is fourth, while Bordeaux in France and Edinburgh in Scotland occupy respectively the sixth and seventh positions. The first non-European citizen among the top ten in the ranking is Sydney.
The city ranked as the most stressful in general in Tokyo, with a total score of 10 compared to that of Stuttgart, followed by Mumbai. If we look at specific factors that lead to a reduction in stress, Luxembourg has the lowest population density after the city of Kuwait. The residents of Singapore and Taipei are more satisfied with the public transport of their cities, while Leipzig in Germany and Montpelier in France, have the lowest levels of traffic congestion.
In the security category, in which the official average rates of robbery and murder are compared with the United Nations data on the local perception of security per capita, Abu Dhabi was considered the “safest” place to live for its citizens, with the Japanese city of Osaka occupying the second place.
North America had the terms of low levels of air pollution, with Miami, Seattle, Vancouver and Boston leading the way. Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, has the lowest noise pollution, while Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Reykjavik have the lowest light pollution. For its part, Reykjavik is the best stop in the categories of physical health and gender equality.
Phnom Penh has the lowest official unemployment rates and Bandar Seri Begawan of Brunei has the lowest per capita debt, but the actual measure of a city’s financial health is in the category of family purchasing power, which balances the average wages of Homes with the cost of living. Munich wins in that category, followed by Luxembourg, Sydney, Monaco, and Stuttgart.
Glamorous and global cities like London (No. 70), Tokyo (No. 72), Paris (No. 78) were grouped in the center of the league table, with New York (No. 84) as the most inductive of stress.
However, tranquility is not exactly cheap: destinations such as Sydney, Vancouver, and Melbourne are some of the most expensive cities in the world.
Table of Contents
The least stressful cities in the world
1. Stuttgart (Germany)
2. Luxembourg City (Luxembourg)
3. Hannover (Germany)
4. Bern (Switzerland)
5. Munich, Germany)
6. Bordeaux (France)
7. Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
8. Sydney (Australia)
9. Draw between Graz (Austria) and Hamburg (Germany)
10. Frankfurt, Germany
The most stressful cities in the world
On the reverse side, these are the most stressful cities in the world, according to Forbes 2020 report.