4. Zürich, Switzerland — 12.76 points
Switzerland is a small nation at an important geographical crossroads, with cultural Italian and French influences alongside dominant German. (In fact, ancient ancestors of the Swiss fought one of the Roman emperors who was born in Lyon.) Zürich is repeatedly named one of the best places in the world to live and work and has one of the highest qualities of life. Moreso than many of the other 11 most ethnically diverse cities in Europe, Zürich is a center of financial industry. The city’s 31% non-Swiss citizens are only 8% close-neighbor Germans — the rest is a veritable EU salad of citizens of both Eastern and Western Europe. Zurich’s 5% Muslim population sounds small until you see it beside just 30% Roman Catholic and 26% Protestant.
