PARIS (AFP) - Singapore on Wednesday topped an international survey of the best cities in Asia for expatriates while the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was named the worst.

Japan took all the other spots in the Asian top five, with Tokyo in second place followed by Kobe, Yokohama and Osaka, according to the annual ranking by the Mercer consulting group.

Worldwide, Vienna, Zurich and Auckland were named as the best places to live, followed by Munich and Vancouver. Paris was ranked 27th.

The city offering the worst quality of life was Baghdad followed by Bangui in the Central African Republic and the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.

Singapore and Dhaka were ranked in 25th and 208th positions respectively with Baghdad in 223rd position.

Political instability, crime and pollution levels were among the factors taken into account by Mercer which carries out research into 460 cities worldwide for its Worldwide Quality of Living Survey. Many of the cities are ranked jointly.

"In an increasingly globalised economy, cities beyond the traditional business and financial centres are improving quality of life in order to attract foreign firms," said Emmanuel Rivere of Mercer France.