Quality of Living Survey: Port Louis ranked best city in Africa for expats, according to Mercer’s 20th Quality of Living Survey

- Port Louis ranks 83rd globally in the overall Quality of Living, making it the best city in Africa
- Durban retains its top position as the best city in South Africa

PRETORIA, South Africa, March 23, 2018/ -- Mercer (www.Mercer.com), a global consulting leader in advancing health, wealth and careers, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), ranks Port Louis the best city in Africa, according to their 2018 Quality of Living Survey. Port Louis is in 83rd place in the global rankings and number one in Africa. The Mauritian city is followed by Durban (89), Cape Town (94) and Johannesburg (95).

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Africa’s top city

“Similar to the 2017 rankings Port Louis retains its top position for Africa with Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg ranking just below the island city, according to our Quality of Living ranking. Quality of living is amongst the important factors that companies weigh when they prepare a long-term strategy around where they should expand and locate global staff,” said Carl Van Heerden, Principal at Mercer and Global Mobility Leader for Africa.

Van Heerden added :  “A city’s place in the rankings is dependent on local living conditions, which are analysed according to a wide variety of factors which reflect their importance to expatriates. Appropriate infrastructure, health facilities, safety and security are some of the important aspects that make a city attractive to both talent and businesses.”

The Mercer Quality of Living survey, which was first published in 1994, is conducted annually to enable multinational companies and other organisations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.

Global ranking

Vienna tops the ranking for the 9th year running and is followed by Zurich (2), Auckland and Munich in joint 3rd place. In 5th place, Vancouver completes the top five and is the highest ranking city in North America. Singapore (25), Dubai (74) and Montevideo (77), are the highest ranking cities in Asia, Middle East and Latin America, respectively.

This year, Mercer provides a separate ranking on City Sanitation, which analyses cities’ waste removal and sewage infrastructure, levels of infectious disease, air pollution, water availability and quality, which are equally important to those who choose to work and live in these cities.

Victoria (58th) ranks highest on the African continent for City Sanitation, followed by Durban (73) and Port Louis (80). Johannesburg is in 81st place, while Cape Town is at 84 on the City Sanitation list.

Honolulu tops the City Sanitation ranking, followed by Helsinki and Ottawa in joint second.

Van Heerden concludes: “Mercer’s Quality of Living survey has become a critical point of reference for multinational companies, which need a full view of the conditions on the ground when considering assigning mobile employees. Our methodology allows multinational employers to provide their expatriates with fair and consistent expatriate compensation packages, when looking to expand into other markets.”

Mercer produces individual cost of living and rental accommodation cost reports for each city surveyed.

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CONTACT:
Zwile Nkosi 
+27 78 715 8424
zwile.nkosi@mercer.com

About Mercer

Mercer (www.Mercer.com) delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organizations meet the health, wealth and career needs of a changing workforce. Mercer’s more than 22,000 employees are based in 44 countries and the firm operates in over 130 countries. Mercer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) (www.MMC.com), the leading global professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. With nearly 65,000 colleagues and annual revenue over $14 billion, through its market-leading companies including Marsh (http://usa.Marsh.com), Guy Carpenter (http://www.guycarp.com/portal/extranet/index.html?vid=77) and Oliver Wyman (http://www.oliverwyman.com/index.html), Marsh & McLennan helps clients navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment. For more information, visit http://www.Mercer.com/. Follow Mercer on Twitter @Mercer (http://www.twitter.com/mercer).

Notes to Editors

Mercer produces worldwide Quality of Living rankings annually from its Worldwide Quality of Living Surveys (http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving). Individual reports are produced for each city surveyed. Moreover, comparative Quality of Living indexes between a base city and host city are available, as are multiple-city comparisons. Details are available at www.Mercer.com/qualityofliving.

The data was largely analysed between September and November 2017, and it will be updated regularly to account for changing circumstances. In particular, the assessments will be revised to reflect significant political, economic, and environmental developments.The list of rankings is provided to media for reference, and should not be published in full. The top 10 and bottom 10 cities in either list may be reproduced in a table.

The information and data obtained through the Quality of Living reports are for information purposes only and are intended for use by multinational organisations, government agencies, and municipalities. They are not designed or intended for use as the basis for foreign investment or tourism. In no event will Mercer be liable for any decision made or action taken in reliance of the results obtained through the use of, or the information or data contained in, the reports. While the reports have been prepared based upon sources, information, and systems believed to be reliable and accurate, they are provided on an “as-is” basis, and Mercer accepts no responsibility/liability for the validity/accuracy (or otherwise) of the resources/data used to compile the reports. Mercer and its affiliates make no representations or warranties with respect to the reports, and disclaim all express, implied and statutory warranties of any kind, including, representations and implied warranties of quality, accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.

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Mercer also helps municipalities to assess factors that can improve their quality of living rankings. In a global environment, employers have many choices about where to deploy their mobile employees and set up new business. A city’s quality of living can be an important variable for employers to consider.

Leaders in many cities want to understand the specific factors that affect their residents’ quality of living and address those issues that lower a city’s overall quality-of-living ranking. Mercer advises municipalities by using a holistic approach that addresses the goals of progressing towards excellence and attracting both multinational companies and globally mobile talent by improving the elements that are measured in its Quality of Living survey.

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Mercer LLC