WATERFORD CITY, Ireland, January 9 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 25th year running, the world's # 1 travel publication, International Living (http://www.internationalliving.com/), has released its Annual Quality of Life Index. And the winner is...France. The loser? Iraq. No explanation necessary for the latter, but France?

Good climate, unspoiled countryside, world-competitive infrastructure, plus the best health care in the world, according to the World Health Organization's (http://www.who.org/) recent study. The culture is top-notch-UNESCO has named 30 World Heritage sites in the country. And according to Laura Sheridan, editor of International Living, "its capital is arguably the world's most beautiful and romantic city."

Even with nightmarish bureaucracy, endless vacations, workers who go on strike at the drop of a beret, a tax burden that accounts for 45% of GDP...somehow France survives and the economy is on the up. Add to this the fact that France exports almost twice as much as the United States in GDP and you'll understand why International Living named France the world's best place to live.

Switzerland always scores high in International Living's Index, and this year it rises from the fourth-place position it held in last year's survey to take silver. Boasting a stable economy and infrastructure that is renowned for its reliability and efficiency, the standard of living in Switzerland is high, the crime rate is low, and the currency one of the world's strongest. With an average after-tax income of around $48,000 per year, Swiss residents are among the world's wealthiest citizens. Switzerland, of course, like France, isn't a bargain destination...but it isn't just for the mega-rich either. Although there are restrictions to where and what you can buy, you don't have to be a resident to own a Swiss home. Nor do all properties cost upward of $1 million. Laura notes, "In mountainous French-speaking Switzerland, around the Villars-sur-Ollon area, bijou studio apartments sell for as little as $150,000 or $200,000."

Rounding out International Living's top three is Australia. With its year-round sunshine and the great outdoors, Australia offers an active lifestyle. The cost of living is relatively low, and the country's economic performance has been the envy of the world for more than a decade. According to The Economist (http://www.economist.com/), Australia is now the only major economy to have a bi-lateral free-trade agreement with America, while also actively discussing one with China. Considering the quality of life offered by the world's top 38 cities, Mercers (http://www.mercerhr.com/) survey in 2005 rated five of Australia's cities as tops. They are in order of the highest rating in this survey: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

Another antipode outpost, and coming fifth in International Living's Index this year, is Australia's neighbour, New Zealand. Although this country is not as cheap as it was five years ago, the American dollar is still holding its own against the Kiwi dollar (US$1 equals 1.44 New Zealand dollars).

The United States falls from the top position it held in this index for 21 years in a row, to take seventh place this year. The United States remains, inarguably, the world's most convenient place to live. But, International Living is convinced that convenience is not the most important factor in determining any country's quality of life. Its economic performance over the past year has slowed slightly, but more than that it is the ongoing and increasing infringements of personal freedoms that account primarily for its fall from first place.

The top ten 1. France 2. Switzerland 3. Australia 4. Denmark 5. New Zealand 6. Austria 7. United States 8. Sweden 9. Finland 10. Italy

Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland all rank in International Living's top 10 this year. While these countries score high in the health care, infrastructure, safety, freedom, and economic categories, they lose points on climate and cost of living. 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.

To see the complete scores for every country in every category, go to: http://www.internationalliving.com/qol06

We are available for interview and further comment.

This information was brought to you by International Living. For the past 25 years, International Living has operated on a simple premise: they believe their readers can live better...for less...travel farther...have a lot of fun...and maybe make a lot of money...when they expand their world beyond their own shores. International Living has more than 200 correspondents traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for real estate, travel, retirement, and investment. In addition to offices in Ireland, Paris, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, and Nicaragua, International Living also has local representation in many other countries including Ecuador, Argentina, and Italy.

Contact: Stephanie Keane. Tel: +353-51-844068 or skeane@sov-soc.com

CONTACT: Contact: Stephanie Keane, Tel: +353-51-844068 or
skeane@sov-soc.com