And the winner is… France ! The loser? Iraq. No explanation necessary for the latter, but people may be surprised to see France taking top honors in the annual Quality of Life Index this year. it's the first time this country has risen to first place. More than that, though, it's the first time in 21 years that any country other than the United States has come out tops in the Index ! Its all to do with UNESCO and World Heritage Sites. France sees in excess of 70 million overseas visitors each year, making it the world's favorite destination. UK comes a distant 18th ! with even portugal above us ! http://www.il-ireland.com/il/qofl06/index.php

Other Statistics - The 10 most popular countries in the world for travelers (Rounded off to the nearest million) Country Most tourist arrivals in 2005 1. France 77 million 2. Spain 52 million 3. United States 42 million 4. Italy 40 million 5. China 37 million 6. United Kingdom 24 million 7. Canada 20 million 8. Mexico 20 million 9. Austria 19 million 10. Germany 18 million Source: The Economist Pocket World in Figures, 2005. The most expensive countries in the world U.S = 100 (see source) 1. Japan (138) 2. Norway (123) 3. Denmark (116) 4. France (116) 5. Hong Kong (113) 6. Switzerland (109) 7. United Kingdom (109) 8. Iceland (106) 9. Austria (104) 10. Finland (103) 11. Netherlands (100) 12. Sweden (99) 13. Singapore (9) 14. South Korea (97) 15. Germany (95) 16. Ireland (94) 17. Australia (93) 18. Belgium (93) 19. Russia (92) 20. China (90) The best cities in the world to live 1. Geneva, Switzerland, 106.5 2. Zurich, Switzerland, 106.5 3. Vancouver, Canada, 106 4. Vienna, Austria, 106 5. Frankfurt, Germany, 105.5 6. Munich, Germany, 105.5 7. Dusseldorf, Germany, 105.5 8. Auckland, New Zealand, 105 9. Bern, Switzerland, 105 10. Copenhagen, Denmark, 105 11. Sydney, Australia, 105 Source: www.finfacts.com. Cities were ranked against New York as the base city, which has a rating of 100. Healthy living-where you'll live the longest 1. Andorra 83.5 2. Japan 81.6 3. Sweden 80.1 4. Hong Kong 79.9 5. Iceland 79.8 6. Cayman Islands 79.7 7. Canada 79.3 8. Spain 79.3 9. Australia 79.2 10. Israel 79.2 11. Martinique 79.1 12. Switzerland 79.1 13. France 79.0 14. Faroe Islands 78.9 15. Macau 78.9 16. Norway 78.9 17. Aruba 78.8 18. Belgium 78.8 19. Italy 78.7 20. Austria 78.5 Source: The Economist Pocket World in Figures, 2005 The Bottom 10 The lowest-scoring countries this year are: Laos, Pakistan, Djibouti, Afghanistan, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Iraq. All, though, receive good scores in the Cost of Living category, making the point that a country can be cheap…but still not a place you'd want to live !

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