This won't be contentious. At all.
Dublin has been ranked higher than London, Edinburgh and Belfast as the city with the best qualify of life in Ireland and the UK – despite its spiralling housing crisis and dreaded weather.
In a global survey conducted by consultancy firm Mercer, the Irish capital ranked the 34th best city in the world for quality of life, ahead of London (41st), Edinburgh (46th), Birmingham (50th), Glasgow (50th), Aberdeen (58th) and Belfast (68th).
The survey is based on 39 factors grouped under 10 categories, including; healthcare, housing, education, transport and the natural environment.
Vienna topped the ranking for the ninth year running, followed in 2nd place by Zurich, with Auckland and Munich joint in 3rd place.
'Attractive Dublin'
"Dublin ranks higher than London and compares favourably to a host of other European capital cities," said Noel O'Connor, consultant at Mercer Ireland.
"Some of the key factors placing Dublin in 34th place in the survey include a stable political environment, lower levels of air pollution and a strong socio-cultural environment.
"The results demonstrate that Dublin remains an attractive location for international businesses to send their employees."
Europe on top
In North America, Vancouver came top and fifth globally, while the Uruguayan capital Montevideo (77th) was the highest ranking city in Latin America.
Baghdad (231st) ranked bottom yet again, having been hit by years of violence following 2003's American-led invasion and the more recent war against Islamic State (ISIS).
The Middle East's other lowest-ranked cities for quality of living include Damascus (225th) and the Yemeni city of Sana'a (229th).
Elsewhere, the best city to live in Africa is Mauritius' capital Port Louis, in 83rd place, while Singapore retained its position as the city offering the best quality of life in Asia – ranking 25th in the world.
