Edinburgh only UK city in top 20 ‘most liveable’ world cities for European expats

Edinburgh is the only UK city to rank in the top 20 most liveable cities in the world for European expats. Pic: Steven Scott Taylor / J P License

The Capital has featured in 19th place for the second year running, on a level playing field with Stockholm in Sweden, according to annual data collated by ECA International (ECA), which assessed the overall quality of living in more than 480 worldwide locations.

These are the 22 most liveable cities in the world - and 2 are in Scotland

A variety of liveability features were taken into consideration to produce the ECA’s Location Ratings Report, including availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; political tensions and air quality.

Levels of air pollution in Edinburgh are said to be slightly lower than other UK locations, pushing the Capital into the top 20. Meanwhile police initiatives have helped reduce crime levels in Edinburgh and around Scotland.

Edinburgh’s existing expat network can also help newcomers feel less isolated making them easier to adapt to their new surroundings.

Aberdeen also scored highly but just missed out on a spot in the top 20.

“Edinburgh and Aberdeen lead the way for UK cities in terms of liveability due to a range of factors including lower air pollution and a greater level of personal security,” said Neil Ashman, senior location ratings analyst at ECA International, global mobility experts.

On crime, there have been initiatives like “Crime Cars” and the Violence Reduction Unit which have helped bring down crime levels in parts of Scotland, particularity concentrated in Edinburgh.

“However, what really makes these two cities outshine others in the UK is the existing expat community. This is an important factor in the liveability analysis as a solid network of expatriates will help newcomers feel less isolated and reduces the anticipated culture shock for workers that relocate from overseas.”

Despite a troubling couple of years, London is holding steady in the top 50 most liveable locations for European expats in 49th place.

Glasgow is the only UK city with a lower ranking than London, coming in at 57th place in the liveability ranking.

Copenhagen in Denmark and Bern in Switzerland offer the best liveability standards for European expats, scoring at the top of ECA’s ranking for over seven years. Alongside Dublin, cities in northern European and Scandinavian nations once again dominate the top ten most liveable locations for European expats. The Netherlands and Switzerland each have three cities within the top ten.

Mr Ashman added: “Cities in Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands have offered good liveability across the board for many years now; with factors such as excellent infrastructure, reliable transport systems, and a high level of healthcare all contributing to their consistently excellent liveability score.”