International Living’s 2010 Quality of Life Index

International Living magazine’s 30th Quality of Life Index has surveyed almost 200 countries across nine categories that include cost of living, culture/leisure, environment and safety/risk and here are the countries who topped out the list:

1. France
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. New Zealand
6. Luxembourg
7. United States
8. Belgium
9. Canada
10. Italy

France kept the top spot for the fifth year in a row while Australia jumped from fifth to second place due to the strength of its economic recovery. On the other hand, the USA dropped from third to seventh place due to the perception that the American dream is increasingly out of reach for many.

However, International Living also freely admits that they have a strong Western bias as the highest ranked Asia country (Japan) only comes in at 36th place.