Orkney is on top

Orkney has once again been named as having the best quality of life in the country. Here are some of the reasons why:

● Crime rates are among the lowest in the UK, with a break-in level of just 3.7 incidents per 10,000 people, compared to a Scottish average of 24.2 and 29.7 for the rest of the UK.

● School children benefit from the country’s largest spending per pupil for primary and secondary children – £9,662 per pupil compared to the Scottish average of £5,928 and £4,645 for the UK.

● The employment rate, at 87.0%, is the highest in the UK.

● There are a huge number of watering holes for Orcadians to enjoy their free time in with 20 bars per 10,000 people.

The city, along with Glasgow and Aberdeen, has an average of 4.3 habitable rooms – defined as a bedroom, office or living room, but not rooms such as bathroom or utility room – per house.

An average of 4.6 habitable rooms appears to be the norm across Scotland, with the large houses of East Renfrewshire and the Western Isles having an average of 4.9 habitable rooms each.

The average amount of rain which drenches Scotland each year amounts to 1,311 mm (131.1cm or 51.6 inches), more than 440 mm (44 cm or 17.3 inches) than the UK average.

Despite the lack of rain, Aberdeen is still regarded as Scotland’s sunniest city even though over a 25 year period (1975 – 2000) Dundee recorded the most average hours of sunshine each year – according to Dundee City Council.

Perth and Kinross has the highest number of health and fitness clubs per person, with 2.7 clubs per 10,000 people, steps ahead of the Scottish average which sits at 1.2 clubs per 10,000.

Almost every household in Dundee is capable of receiving 5mbps (megabytes-per-second) broadband, with 99% availability in the city – the highest in Scotland.

Overall, Orkney remains the best place to live in terms of quality of life, according to the survey.

A low crime rate, high levels of funding for education, low population density and the highest employment rate in the UK has been credited for making the northerly islands one of the most desirable places to live.