Manama fares poorly in Quality of Life

Manama : Manama does not fare well for the quality of life offered to its residents when compared to other cities around the world, according to a recent study by international human resources consulting firm Mercer.

Out of the 230 cities that it ranked in its global Quality of Living report, Mercer has placed Manama at 133. In the region, Dubai was ranked the highest at 75 while Abu Dhabi came 81st. European cities were found to offer the highest quality of living. 

Vienna, the capital of Austria, was named the world’s top city for quality of life while war-torn Bagdad was at the bottom of the list. While studying the quality of life in different cities, safety was one of the key elements analysed, Mercer stated. 

“Heightened domestic and global security threats, population displacement resulting from violence, and social unrest in key business centres around the world are all elements adding to the complex challenge facing multinational companies when analysing the safety and health of their expatriate workforces,” said Ilya Bonic, Senior Partner and President of Mercer’s Talent business.

Regarding the Middle East region, Mercer stated, “Dubai (75) continues to rank highest for quality of living across Africa and the Middle East, followed by Abu Dhabi (81) and Port Louis (83) in Mauritius. The South African cities of Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg rank 85th, 92nd, and 95th respectively. Baghdad (230) ranks lowest regionally and worldwide. 

Only a handful of cities in this region came in the top 100 for personal safety—with Abu Dhabi ranking highest in 23rd place, followed by Muscat (29), Dubai (40) and Port Louis (59). Upcoming host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Doha, ranks 70th for personal safety. 

Regional geopolitics is highly volatile and characterised by safety concerns, political turmoil and an elevated risk of terrorism. The lowest ranking cities in the region are Damascus (229) and Baghdad (230), both of which have witnessed continual violence and terrorist attacks that weigh upon the daily life of locals and expatriates.