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Two of Nigeria’s major cities – Lagos and Abuja – have been placed low on the latest Quality of Living ranking released today by Mercer, a New York-based human resources consulting firm. Out of 231 cities surveyed, Lagos is ranked 212nd, followed by Abuja, the country’s capital city, which is placed 213rd in the 2017 Quality of Living ranking.

The low ranking of Lagos and Abuja in the global index comes amid ongoing infrastructural initiatives undertaken by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello.

Some African cities that are ranked higher than Lagos and Abuja are: Lusaka, Zambia (150th); Dakar, Senegal (163rd); Libreville, Gabon (164th); Accra, Ghana (166th); Cotonou, Benin (181st); Nairobi, Kenya (186th); Douala, Cameroon (196th); Luanda, Angola (201st), Lome, Togo (206th); and Harare, Zimbabwe (210th).

The survey is based on Mercer’s evaluation of local living conditions analysed according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories. These categories are: political and social environment; economic environment; socio-cultural environment; medical and health considerations; schools and education; public services and transportation; recreation; consumer goods; housing; and natural environment.

In Africa, the five highest ranked cities are Port Louis in Mauritius (84th); Durban (87th), Cape Town (94th), Johannesburg (96th) – all three cities are in South Africa; and Victoria in Seychelles (98th).

On the other hand, the five lowest ranked African cities are: Bangui, Central African Republic (230th); Khartoum, Sudan (227th); N’djamena, Chad (226th); Brazzaville, Congo (224th); and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (223rd).

“Economic instability, social unrest, and growing political upheaval all add to the complex challenge multinational companies face when analysing quality of living for their expatriate workforce,” said Ilya Bonic, Senior partner and President of Mercer’s Career business.

“For multinationals and governments it is vital to have quality of living information that is accurate, detailed, and reliable. It not only enables these employers to compensate employees appropriately, but it also provides a planning benchmark and insights into the often-sensitive operational environment that surrounds their workforce,” added Bonic.

The ten highest ranked cities in the world are: Vienna, Austria (1st); Zurich, Switzerland (2nd); Auckland, New Zealand (3rd); Munich, Germany (4th); Vancouver, Canada (5th); Dusseldorf, Germany (6th); Frankfurt, Germany (7th); Geneva, Switzerland (8th); Copenhagen, Denmark (9th), and Basel, Switzerland (10th).

“The success of foreign assignments is influenced by issues such as ease of travel and communication, sanitation standards, personal safety, and access to public services,” said Slagin Parakatil, Principal at Mercer, who is responsible for the Quality of Living research. “Multinational companies need accurate and timely information to help calculate fair and consistent expatriate compensation – a real challenge in locations with a compromised quality of living.”

Founded in 1945, Mercer is the world’s largest human resources consulting firm, specializing in talent, health, retirement, and investment services. The company operates in over 140 countries with over 20,000 employees based in 43 countries. Mercer is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, a global professional services firm, with over $13 billion in revenue.