According to Numbeo’s “Quality of Life Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year,” European countries occupy a majority of the top positions, while several Middle Eastern countries perform strongly. Asia-Pacific, North America, and Latin America generally fall within mid-tier ranges.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (MERXWIRE) – According to Numbeo’s “Quality of Life Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year,” the Netherlands ranks first globally with a score of 205.6, followed closely by Luxembourg at 204.8. Oman and Denmark share third place with identical scores of 203.9, while Switzerland ranks fifth with 203.2. The rest of the top ten includes Finland, Austria, Iceland, Germany, and Norway, indicating that European countries continue to dominate overall quality-of-life rankings.
The Quality of Life Index published by Numbeo is not a simple comparison of income or prices. It is a composite measure that evaluates eight factors, including purchasing power, pollution levels, house price-to-income ratio, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, commute time, and climate. A higher score indicates better overall living conditions.
Top 10 Countries in Numbeo’s Quality of Life Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year
| Rank | Country | Quality of Life Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 205.6 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | 204.8 |
| 3 | Oman | 203.9 |
| 4 | Denmark | 203.9 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 203.2 |
| 6 | Finland | 201.5 |
| 7 | Austria | 198.1 |
| 8 | Iceland | 195.1 |
| 9 | Germany | 195.0 |
| 10 | Norway | 193.5 |
In Europe, the region continues to maintain a leading position overall. Beyond the top ten, Slovenia ranks 18th, Lithuania 19th, Czech Republic 21st, Croatia 22nd, the United Kingdom 23rd, France 24th, Belgium and Ireland at 25th and 26th respectively, Portugal 28th, and Latvia 30th. This reflects generally high living standards across both Western and Central-Eastern Europe.
In the Middle East, several countries show strong performance. Oman ranks third, Qatar 12th, the United Arab Emirates 29th, Kuwait 34th, and Saudi Arabia 38th, reflecting competitiveness in certain living condition indicators within the region.
In North America, the United States ranks 16th, Canada 27th, and Mexico 61st, while other countries are not included in this ranking.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia ranks 14th, New Zealand 15th, and Japan 20th. Among major Asian economies, Taiwan ranks 32nd, Singapore 42nd, South Korea 44th, China 49th, and Hong Kong 63rd, highlighting significant disparities in regional quality-of-life levels.
In Latin America, Uruguay ranks 47th, Costa Rica 57th, Mexico 61st, Argentina 62nd, Brazil 66th, Chile 72nd, and Colombia 73rd, with most countries falling into the mid-range of the index.
The lower end of the ranking includes Peru, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, Egypt, the Philippines, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria.
The data released by Numbeo is based on survey inputs, which are verified and checked for sample consistency before being processed through a weighted model that calculates each indicator. As the data is crowdsourced, the results primarily reflect respondents’ perceptions and evaluations of living conditions in different locations.
