The Netherlands Scores the World’s Highest Quality of Life
According to Numbeo, a large online database, the Netherlands scores the highest when it comes to Quality of Life with an index of 196.7, placing just above Denmark (194.7) and Switzerland (193.6).
The Quality of Life Index is an estimation of the general quality of life in a country, taking into account various factors such as purchasing power, pollution, and house price to income ratio, among others. Of course, each of these is quantified with a collection of data which can then be compared to data from other countries, this is called an index. While Spain scores higher when it comes to climate likeability (climate index: 93.7> 86.8), the Netherlands scores higher on general safety (safety index: 72.7> 64.3). The Quality of Life Index is also made up of the cost of living index, health care index, and even traffic commute time index.
The quality of life in the Netherlands attracts international talent to the country, and the Leiden region. A report from Decisio (2022) shows that the Leiden region is home to about 15.000 working internationals, with a 5,4% total increase compared to 2010. Hence, there is a clear demand for receiving this international talent, and ensuring they adapt as fast as possible to living and working in the Leiden region. Leiden International Centre ensures a ‘’soft-landing’’ and pleasant stay for those coming from abroad, which contributes to generating a favorable business climate – the professional and economic environment local business operate in.
The Netherlands is known as an international tech hub with cities such as the Hague, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven. But smaller cities, like Leiden, still differentiate themselves for having robust, growing and highly-specialised markets. The Leiden region has a vibrant economy and wide range of industries, including life sciences, software development and space. Moreover, the region is further characterized by a strong entrepreneurial spirit given its high concentration of startups.
But, what exactly draws companies to Leiden, and what makes them stay? Leiden has many prominent and respected institutions and organisations that contribute to innovation and development. A great example is Leiden Science Park, a cluster of life science companies that ranks in the top five most successful science parks in Europe. Then there is Leiden University, ranked as one of the best Dutch universities and placed in the top 100 universites worldwide. Both of these attract and create highly-skilled professionals and knowledge workers. Additionally, the city benefits from its geographical positioning with close proximity to Amsterdam and the Hague, but also RTH- and Schiphol Airport.