Copenhagen is a great place – not only for locating a company but also for living. In a worldwide quality of life survey, conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Copenhagen was ranked as the world’s eighth highest placed city. Among the European cities, Copenhagen ranks seven.
The evaluation is based on 39 criteria including political, social, economic and environmental factors in order to assess the cities’ attractiveness to expatriates. A range of qualities related to the living and work environment explains an overall satisfaction with Copenhagen. High priority issues among expatriates include the fact that Danish employees are team players, flexible, and show a high degree of respect for the employees’ family life. It is rather easy for foreigners to be integrated in the Danish society. The Danish population’s language proficiency is among the highest in the world and with a total of 40,000 expatriates from North America, Europe and Scandinavia, an international community atmosphere is present in the city.
In addition, Copenhagen has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Children can walk to school on their own, and foreigners often mention the feeling of security and safety as the city’s most distinctive features.
In Copenhagen, a cultural life can easily be combined with an active outdoor life. The city entails a fascinating mix of entertainment attractions, castles, parks, green areas, and sandy beaches. The Copenhagen Harbour, located in the middle of the city, is now so clean that it is possible to take a swim in one of the open-air baths, and also a newly opened beach only five kilometres from Copenhagen city centre gives great opportunities for swimming. Additionally, due to a well functioning infrastructure, it is possible to visit places and enjoy the rich culture of the Copenhagen area quickly, easily and at low costs.
Quality of Life Survey 2005
|
City
|
Rank 2004
|
Rank 2005
|
|
Copenhagen
|
5
|
8
|
|
Amsterdam
|
10
|
12
|
|
Brussels
|
12
|
13
|
|
Stockholm
|
15
|
14
|
|
Helsinki
|
24
|
25
|
|
Oslo
|
32
|
31
|
|
Paris
|
32
|
31
|
|
London
|
36
|
39
|
|
New York
|
39
|
39
|
Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2005