Top 10 Worst Cities in the World to Live

I’m sure it came as a shock to many of us when our darling city of Lagos – Africa’s fastest growing city was ranked among the top 3 worst cities in the world to live. Now let’s find out the other 9 cities that made the list of top 10 worst cities in the world to live.

A number of cities around the world are becoming tougher places to live due to growing threats of terrorism and political and social unrest.

In particular, heightened terrorist threats from groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram continue to impact the stability and liveability of cities across the world.

Taking this into consideration, the Economist Intelligence Unit has just released a ranking of 140 of the most – and least – liveable cities in the world.

The index ranks cities worldwide by how “livable” they are, awarding them points out of 100 according to stability, healthcare, culture/environment, education, and infrastructure.

Cities in Australia, New Zealand and Europe continue to dominate the top 10 most liveable cities – with Melbourne scoring top – while cities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia – with the exception of the Ukraine’s Kiev – account for the worst.

The survey only addresses a selection of cities or business centres that people might want to live in or visit. It does not include places like Kabul in Afghanistan or Baghdad in Iraq, but does rank Damascus and Tripoli, which are unlikely to attract visitors but were deemed relatively stable just a few years ago.

In total, 12 cities continued to occupy the very bottom tier of liveability, where ratings fall below 50% and most aspects of living are severely restricted.

Here are the world’s top 10 worst cities to live in;

10. Kiev, Ukraine

The capital of Kiev saw the biggest decline in terms of liveability — 21.4 points — of all 140 cities surveyed. It is the also the only European city in the 12 that scored below 50 points. The city is still in a recovery that remains under threat from unrest, economic instability, and the ongoing civil war taking place in the Donbass region.

9. Douala, Cameroon

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde dances with some of the orphan children in Douala, Cameroon January 9, 2016.Reuters

It is perhaps unsurprising the African city made the worst city list, as it scores very poorly across healthcare, education, infrastructure, and culture and environment. However, a higher stability score helped keep it from the top spot.

8. Harare, Zimbabwe 

Zimbabwe’s anti-riot policemen look on as protesters hold flowers during a peaceful demonstration which later turned violent after police dispersed about 100 people protesting against central bank plans to re-introduce local banknotes in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, August 17, 2016.Reuters

The African city may still be one of the worst cities to live in the world due to having the worst score out of 140 countries for healthcare, one of the worst for infrastructure, as well as continual social unrest. However, it has one of the most improved liveability scores over the last five years.

6. Karachi, Pakistan

Boys aboard an abandoned boat collect recyclable items through polluted waters in front of fishing boats at Fish Harbor in Karachi, Pakistan, August 17, 2016.Reuters

This city had one of the lowest scores for stability and for culture and environment. However, a modest score for education at 66.7 helped keep it from topping the worst cities to live ranking. it is tied at the 6th spot alongside Algeria’s capital, Algiers.

6. Algiers, Algeria

A woman hangs her washing out to dry on her roof top in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria December 6, 2015.Reuters

The city tied with Karachi with an overall score of 40.9 due to scoring under 50 for all categories including stability, infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

5. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

A Papua New Guinea police special services division officer (L) talks through a megaphone as students attempt to march from University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, June 8, 2016.Reuters

The city’s stability is super-low at 30 as political and social unrest is continual. Its healthcare score is also one of the worst in the world.

4. Dhaka, Bangladesh

Residents watch from rooftops after a police operation on militants on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 26, 2016.Reuters

The EIU said that “violent acts of terrorism” in Bangladesh have taken their toll on the city’s liveability ranking, as it has the lowest score for infrastructure out of the 140 cities surveyed.

3. Lagos, Nigeria

In this photo taken Friday, Jan, 24. 2014, a scavenger in Lagos, Nigeria sorts out iron and plastic to sell at the Olusosun dump site the city’s largest dump. With a population of more than 22 million, garbage piles up on streets, outside homes and along the waterways and lagoons, creating eyesores and putrid smells. The booming city also has major electricity shortages and many residents rely on diesel generators that cloud the air with black exhaust. (AP Photo/ Sunday Alamba)

The city has the worst score for stability at 10. “Continued threat from groups like Boko Haram acts as a constraint to improving stability in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city,” says the EIU.

2. Tripoli, Libya

Reuters

“Escalations in hostilities in Libya have prompted a sharp decline in liveability in Tripoli as the threat to stability from Islamic State (IS, an extreme global jihadi group) continues to spread across the Middle East and North Africa,” said the EIU.

1. Damascus, Syria

A man takes pictures with his mobile phone at a site by an airstrike in the rebel held Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria July 22, 2016.Reuters

The city was relatively stable years ago but it remains “the subject of high-profile armed conflicts,” said the EIU. “Conflict is responsible for many of the lowest scores. This is not only because stability indicators have the highest single scores but also because factors defining stability spread to have an adverse effect on other categories,” it added.