Zurich is the most successful city in the world when it comes to social and economic inclusivity, according to the Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA) Index. Prepared by the strategic consulting firm D&L Partners on behalf of two Basque institutions, the index measures the inclusive prosperity of 113 cities worldwide.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is often used to measure standard of living in cities. However, the PICSA Index goes beyond this aspect by taking into account other factors such as affordability of housing, access to education and health care, as well as per capita GDP.
Zurich ranked strongly in all categories, standing out in particular for its high quality of life, work and housing, as well as its attractive leisure activities in and around the city. It was also commended for its security and educational opportunities, with the Swiss higher education system receiving especially high praise.
According to Bruni Lanvin, founder and CEO of D&L Partners, Zurich is also a “modern, global city planning for the future”. This can be seen in the Swiss government’s commitment to research, which invests an “above-average percentage of GDP into R&D”, Lanvin added.
Zurich was followed by Vienna, Copenhagen, Luxemburg and Helsinki. European cities took eight of the top ten places in the index, including the Swiss city of Geneva, which came in tenth.
