Amsterdam ranked 12th nicest city to live in worldwide

Amsterdam is the 12th nicest city in the world to live, according to an annual quality of life ranking by Mercer. The Dutch capital scored well in the categories of education and economic climate, but fared less well when it came to traffic problems.

Mercer annually ranks cities based on urban characteristics that are most important to expats. These include safety, public transport, international schools and cultural offerings. Amsterdam also came in 12th place last year, and 11th in 2016.

The Austrian capital of Vienna came in first place for the 9th year in a row. Zurich in Switzerland came in second place, and Germany's Munich and New Zealand's Auckland shared third. Europe is well represented in the top part of the list, with European cities taking 8 of the top 10 spots.

The bottom part of the list is mainly made up of cities in war-torn countries. Baghdad in Iraq came in last place. Damascus in Syria, Sana'a in Yemen, and Bangui in the Central African Republic are also in the bottom 10.