According to a recent report by a Mercer, a U.S. consulting firm, Beirut is one of the least hospitable places on Earth when measured against the firm’s annual “quality of life” index. It ranks 175th out of 215 countries surveyed.
I find this news a little hard to digest.
Even within the Middle East, the people at Mercer say the Lebanese capital doesn’t perform well. They say its “quality of life” trails behind that of Kuwait City, Riyadh and Jeddah (see chart above, courtesy Byblos Bank).
Why then is everyone dying to be in Beirut?
The New York Times has rated the Lebanese capital number one city to visit in 2009. This summer thousands of Saudis, Kuwaitis and other Gulf Arabs flooded its streets, as they do every year, eager to spend loads of cash in the city’s luxurious bars, restaurants and hotels.
Yes, tourism and quality of life are totally different indicators and yes Beirut has many problems politically and economically. Corruption is widespread, there is a huge gap between rich and poor, traffic and state services can be terrible. But these problems exist in different forms in other cities. (Why does it take me 45 minutes to travel 5 miles in NYC?)
Plus the Mercer survey is not about reporting wealth distribution or political mobility for average citizens. It’s intended largely as a tool for multinational corporations in assessing hardship allowances for executives sent to live abroad.
Judging by the endless stream of parties thrown by diplomats and executives in Beirut, I wonder how “quality of life” is defined.
Beirut has its disadvantages and so do other cities on the list, especially in the Middle East. But when it comes to climate, geography, attractions, cultural diversity, entertainment, dining, social life and personal liberties, Beirut is at the forefront. (Thus the high tourism numbers, especially from Arab countries.)
Perhaps these factors did not carry much weight in the final assessment; but again, how does one define quality of life? Is infrastructure more important than entertainment and social relations?
I admit, doing business in Beirut can be challenging yet at the same time, the cost of living (such as groceries/rent) is much cheaper than Western capitals–while income taxes are relatively non-existent. Yes there is political violence (aimed mainly at politicians), but crime is insignificant compared to Europe and the US.
Beirut has plenty of other problems: the internet is slow, cell phones are expensive–but still. Panaoromaic views of the sea on a daily basis, cheap housing, beaches, mountains, sking less than an hour away… beautiful retreats urban and rural, layers of fascinating history to explore, exciting nightlife, the list goes on and on…
It may not be conventional, but Beirut definitely has quality of life, heaps of it. To rank the city 100 places behind Dubai and 125 places behind New York and 50 places below Kuwait just doesn’t seem right.
Perhaps it would be interesting to visit other cities ranked on the bottom of Mercer’s list and see if “quality of life” there is as bad as they say it is.
11 comments
They even ranked Riyadh and Jeddah before Beirut! I lived in Jeddah for 10 years and I can assure you that the Hajj season is the only tourism aspect of this city!
I really don’t know on which standards they based this report!
They even ranked Riyadh and Jeddah before Beirut! I lived in Jeddah for 10 years and I can assure you that the Hajj is the only tourism aspect that can be defined in there! I don’t know on which standards they based this ranking!
I wouldn’t pay too much attention to a bunch of accountants working out what the “perfect” city is. Not when they put Zurich at number 2, and London at number 40. Seriously??
And Sana’a is number 210 – that’s five places away from the bottom of the list. You’ll be hard pressed to find people as happy as Sana’anis. And surely a high-quality of life and happiness are positively correlated.
Or maybe this bunch of people who work in London’s financial district (at Mercer) haven’t got a clue what makes a “good-quality” life.
I’m going to post on this soon.
i dont buy this study…its just to odd
Thanks Rania and Angie. Sasa, you raise an interesting point: perhaps those that assess quality of life need to have their own quality of life assessed!
Sanaa sounds like a fascinating place 🙂
May I disagree with you here, at least for the sake of having a more balanced discussion. I too would not take such rankings too seriously, so the difference between city number 1 and number 5 is not really that significant. But, yes indeed Zurich has a better quality of life than London, almost by any measure- crime, access to green spaces and nature, quality of public transport, quality of air, water, children friendly, bicycles friendly, etc.
Now use the same criteria to apply on Beirut. The state of the public transport is horrible, access to green parks per inhabitant is very limited, access to the mountains and seaside is also limited when you consider public transport. Quality of water, air, utilities (electricity!!), noise pollution, are all aspects that certainly drag Beirut down the list. Now does it deserve to be ahead of Amman or Jeddah, I have no idea since I am not familiar with these two cites.
hitchhiker, thanks for your feedback but I think some of your statements are inaccurate and in general, I think your complaints about Beirut need to be seen in a more nuanced context.
Just some quick points:
Transport for one, is dirt cheap in Lebanon–fares for bus or taxi (service) are a dollar or so; is that expensive? Plus you can literally stop a cab or bus anywhere!
You’re right Beirut doesn’t have much in terms of parks, but Lebanon is full of greenery–the whole country is a park! And its only a short ride from the city, which maybe is different than other capitals. There is a certain convenience to Beirut in that sense.
In terms of seaside access, well it is abundant along the corniche. For swimming there are many clean beaches along the North and South coasts.
Electricty, yes it’s a disadvantage especially for the very poor, but as long as one has generator access–and that is easily attainable–one doesn’t feel the cuts as more than a blip. Noise pollution? Trust me NYC can be a thousand times worse…
It’s true Beirut may not fit neatly into the categorical and/or Western infrastructure checklist, but I think it offers many other advantages and there’s always a way to adapt and make things work. Did you not enjoy your time in Beirut?
I loved your comment. Beirut is a city that elicits emotions. Those people who are giving these ranks don’t seem to have any and judge mainly on certain criteria known only to them.
I think the report paints a reality of Beirut!
I have come to hate the conditions I lived in for more than 30 years before moving to New Zealand.
Also… [this one’s funny] the three commentators who disagreed on this report here actually live in North America and I bet you, they come from well-off families!
I have lived in poverty all of my life, struggled… had to do 3 jobs to get through and pay University, my parents could have never afforded… and everytime I visit Beirut I ask myself how I survived here? The pollution (water, air, noise, environment), the education system, transport, poverty, crime, corruption and one thing you all did not mention SOCIAL SECURITY!
Kevork, you are right to criticize the problem of upward mobility and the gap between rich and poor and I clearly note that in the post. Yet I’m not sure that the other cities in the region ranked above Beirut because they perform better in those categories. You should also note that the survey is intended as a tool for Western companies, so an individual’s ability to overcome poverty is not directly addressed here. (Of course it should be and I would like to see a survey on that, which I’m sure a lot of the countries listed here would perform poorly at.)
You raise an important point about having a connection to North America or the West. Lebanese employers do often pay better (although not always much) if you have a degree from a Western country. But if you want to make it big in Lebanon, what really matters are your connections and I think thats true in most places. This post was less about the ability to acquire wealth than it was about other life qualities. Having skills earned in the West is definitely a major asset, but I think that was a given for a lot of the people this survey was meant to address.
I’m also not sure that life in the West is as unproblematic as you make it sound, especially with regards to future of social security funds.
I find it a bit offensive that the poster argues that panoramic scenery (that I’ve only seen in photos in trash free form) can negate the effects of a broken infrastructure. It’s nice that some people can afford a nice time in Beirut, but it isn’t in any way a tip on any scale. That other places are worse off is no argument as well, as it doesn’t change the figures here.
I think the poster should thank their lucky stars they’ve managed to come with such an attitude, and show a little bit of respect for people who actually suffer through corruption, a lack of basic needs, zero trust, lots and lots of violence, serious health risks.
Don’t get me started on the foreign labor too. It’s something to be a tourist here, but living as a foreigner is a totally different issue. It’s crippling to most.
Beirut is a nightmarish place to live. Any beauty you derive from it, breaks your heart in that context. I’m surprised it isn’t ranked any lower.
There are a lot of people who would agree, in not so many words, without such conviction maybe, purely out of wanting a better life for their kids, which they statistically can’t seem to get here.
Lots of outsiders assume that we have a natural ‘bond’ to the place and the way of life here cause it’s in our genes our something. ‘Oh they love it here they know how to live this way they like it it’s their culture’.
Your post gave everyone so much reason to believe that nonsense. It’s in nobody’s culture to be petty, corrupt, greedy and messy. Lots and lots of people would leave in a heartbeat if they could, they just can’t cause no one else let’s them in.
Not to paint a pretty sad picture, but all that gets collectively taken out on foreign workers from other places that effectively perform as slaves. People split up and fight. Pride takes over, much like the feeling welling up in you now as you read this, unless you’re reading this constructively.
I am heartbroken after a decade here. I’m from other places in the middle east too, and honestly, whereas socially I wouldn’t exactly pick anywhere else over Beirut, there’s so much I can do with my life knowing my bank isn’t gonna bail out, my power won’t cut out after I pay loads of money to keep it going, my sponsor won’t screw me over for life in a heartbeat, no car next to me is gonna blow up, the water i swim in and drink is gonna kill me, i mean… it goes on and on and on.
I think the ranking is lenient. Any pride in superficial has to step aside if anything about this place is gonna be backed with substance.
If I sound angry, I am. A quiet, lingering, now habituated anger.
Enjoy next weekend mate. Have some doodoo shots for me.