Düsseldorf moves up in worldwide quality of living ranking

Düsseldorf, Germany – After being # 6 for several years in a row in Mercer’s annual independent survey of quality of living in global cities, Düsseldorf jumps rank to No. 5 after this year’s survey results.

Düsseldorf is also # 5 among all European cities and second in Germany. Vienna is No. 1, followed by Zurich, Auckland, and Munich. Mercer analyses cities according to 39 factors, including socio-cultural environment, recreation (restaurants, theaters, cinemas, sports and leisure), housing, natural environment, and schools and education.

Düsseldorf Overview and Highlights:

Düsseldorf is at the center of the Rhine Ruhr area, a bustling network of 53 (!) connected cities with a total population of about 6 million from 170 nations – the EU’s third largest market in volume and spending. There are 18 million residents within a 40 mile radius and 148 million people within a 300 mile radius (35% of EU total population).

Highlights: With “green” ever a top priority, the city is an international award-winner for its innovative public parks and gardens. The rare and winning combination of old-world and metropolitan charm provides a strong backdrop to one of Europe’s most modern and prosperous cities. Düsseldorf hosts 5,000 companies, primarily representing 21st century industries, such as advertising, wireless, telecommunications, retail, and fashion, including 500 US and 500 Japanese companies. The city is home to 50 international trade fairs annually, 23 of which are international industry leaders. International events such as Japan Day, the Largest Fair on the Rhine, Jazz-Rally, and the FIS Cross Country World Cup among others attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Düsseldorf International Airport: Germany’s third largest airport (DUS) offers several non-stop flights from US & Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver), as well as convenient connections to many European cities and beyond. Many of the connections from DUS to European destinations are faster and more convenient than from any other German airport. 70 airlines serve 180 destinations worldwide and 19 million passengers per year from DUS.

The airport, like the city, is at the center of the Rhine Ruhr area, the EU’s third largest market in volume and spending and equal to major metropolitan regions like New York, London and Paris. 500,000 companies are located in the area, including 5,000 offices of foreign corporations, the majority from the Netherlands, Japan and the USA. Many major international industry players, including Fujifilm Europe, Nokia Siemens, Novell, Ericsson, Deloitte & Touche, McKinsey, and Toshiba, are headquartered in Düsseldorf, which is a first-rate location for high-tech concerns. International presence and fast accessibility – guaranteed by DUS being one of Germany’s major hubs – make the location highly attractive.

Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia, ranked 17 in GDP among the world’s major industrial centers, are also home to some of the most significant exhibitions and trade shows in the world. Of the 50 annual events at Düsseldorf’s Exhibition Center, 23 lead their industry worldwide, for example, printing technology (“drupa”), plastics and rubber (“K”), medicine (“MEDICA” and “REHACARE INTERNATIONAL”), leisure time (“boot”) or packaging (“interpack”).