In a testament to all the good work being done by Qatar, Doha has emerged as one of the top destinations in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) for a high standard of living, according to a new survey.
Qatar’s capital city consistently scored in the top 10 cities in the Mena, across all considerations, and is the sixth top city in the region. Almost two out of three people living in Doha are either very happy or somewhat happy living in their current city of residence.
The availability of jobs in Doha is either good or excellent according to four in 10 respondents; with only 8% believing it is bad, according to the survey by leading career site Bayt.com and noted online market research firm YouGov. About 40% of respondents in Doha believe that competitive salaries are either good or excellent.
Other important economic factors in Doha include benefits for working parents, personal career growth and reasonably priced amenities. In terms of economic factors, Doha came seventh in the top 10 cities in the Mena list.
Doha was the eighth top-scoring city in the Mena region in terms of labour rights. Respondents from Qatar believe that they have good-to-excellent end of service benefits (36%), termination rights (25%), vacation allowances (45%), parenthood allowances (21%), wage protection system (36%), health insurance and social security systems (48%), and pro-active policy making (28%).
Doha came in seventh place region-wide in terms of environmental factors, which form a set of important aspects related to comfort and cleanliness that affect the overall quality of life in a city. The vast majority of respondents in Doha (77%) say that the cleanliness of their city streets is either good or excellent.
Qatar emerged as one of the top destinations for a high standard of living with Doha recording high scores amongst the top 10 cities in the Mena. According to the majority of respondents, Doha rate as good-to-excellent on most of the key factors affecting the standard of living. These factors include the feeling of stability and security (70%), the availability of healthcare facilities (65%), water/electricity/sewage systems (72%) and the quality of education (54%).
Important socio-cultural factors in Qatar include low crime rates, rated as good-to-excellent by 83% of Doha respondents; a stable political environment, rated as good-to-excellent by 71% of Doha respondents; and effective law enforcement rated as good-to-excellent by 68% of Doha respondents.   
Doha ranked eighth across the Mena region for  sports, arts, culture and recreation factors which play an important role in the overall quality of life in a city. Respondents in Doha ranked culture and arts offerings (42%), the availability of family-friendly activities (48%), and the availability of world heritage sites/preserved old towns (43%) as good-to-excellent. Doha is ranked as the sixth top city in the Mena for starting a business.
Going by the indications of the survey, Qatar has witnessed lot of improvements on various fronts with future prospects looking better.