International technology firm ZipJet has recently released its 2017 roundup of the world’s most and least stressful cities. Stuttgart, Germany — a city of roughly 625,000 people in the country’s southwest region — that won ZipJet’s No. 1 ranking for the least stressful global destination. Whilst Luxembourg (no. 2); Hannover, Germany (no. 3); Bern, Switzerland (no. 4); and Munich, Germany (no. 5), rounded out the remaining five spots.
To compile its ratings, ZipJet considered 17 factors that could contribute to anxiety or stress across 500 cities. These factors included unemployment, per capita debt, “perception of security” (safety), and levels of physical and mental health.
Here’s the list of ZipJet’s top 25 least stressful cities in the world, ranked from least stressful at No. 1 and increasing from there.
- Stuttgart, Germany
- Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Hannover, Germany
- Bern, Switzerland
- Munich, Germany
- Bordeaux, France
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Sydney, Australia
- Graz, Austria
- Hamburg, Germany
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Seattle, United States
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Nice, France
- Dresden, Germany
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Oslo, Norway
- Helsinki, Finland
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Melbourne, Australia
- Düsseldorf, Germany
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Kuwait City, Kuwait
- Montreal, Canada
- Leipzig, Germany
The world’s most stressful cities generally have fewer green spaces, worse public transit and mental health scores, as well as other issues like pollution. Many US cities in particular scored poorly in areas like population density, presence of green spaces, quality of public transportation, or security and mental health, which could explain their diminished standing as compared to many Western European cities.
The areas where Germany specifically seems to be doing well — and perhaps one of the reasons why its cities appear 11 times on the list, in relatively low-stress rankings — include green spaces, public transportation, and mental health.
Concluding ZipJet’s list are the world’s top 5 most stressful cities: Cairo, Egypt (no. 146); Dakar, Senegal (no. 147); Lagos, Nigeria (no. 148); Kabul, Afghanistan (no. 149); and Baghdad, Iraq (no. 150). Each ranked especially poorly in areas like mental health and perception of security — which might come as little surprise, given that Egypt has experienced tumult in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions and ensuing political crises, and countries like Afghanistan and Iraq continue to be rocked by extremist violence and warfare.
If you live in a ‘stressful city’ and/ or experience stress on a regular basis, there are many things you can do to combat these feelings – from taking time out for yourself to exercise or to enjoy time with family and friends – to speaking to your doctor or perhaps a counsellor if feelings of stress are particularly overwhelming.
