Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru among top cities in Asia for living quality

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 13, 2019, MalayMail. Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru were 10th and 12th respectively in Asia, according to a survey ranking global cities for quality of life. KL was also second highest in Southeast Asia, reported the MalayMail.

International human resources consulting firm Mercer’s quality of living survey indicated both cities retained their global ranking, despite the current global economic climate being dominated by trade tensions and populist undercurrents.

Ahead of KL is Singapore, the highest in South-East Asia and the Asian region, followed by five Japanese cities (Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya), and then Hong Kong and Seoul.

Other cities in South-East Asia surveyed include Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, and Phnom Penh, which were ranked in that order.

KL also ranked higher that the Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, or the Indian cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

Globally the Austrian city of Vienna remains at the top place for the 10th year in a row, followed by Zurich in Switzerland, with the cities of Auckland in New Zealand, Munich in Germany, and Vancouver in Canada at joint third place.

Montevideo in Uruguay and Port Louis in Mauritius also remain the highest-ranking cities in South America and Africa, respectively.

Mercer’s survey evaluated 450 cities worldwide based on living conditions according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories.

These include the environments of political-social, economic, socio-cultural, medical and health, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreation, consumer goods, housing, and natural environment.