The Economist Intelligence Unit released its annual rankings for the most livable cities in the world, and the least livable cities in the world. For the least livable cities in the world, African cities dominate much, reflecting how unstable African cities have increasingly become.
War, conflict and natural disasters have made large cities with huge populations to be unlivable. The list has six African countries, showing how much African governments and city authorities have to step up their efforts in ensuring peace, stability and development.
The Economist's 2018 Global Livability Index takes into account 30 factors related to stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. The Economist said that crime, civil unrest, terrorism or war played a "strong role" in the ten-lowest scoring cities.
African cities such as Lagos (Nigeria), Harare (Zimbabwe), Douala (Cameroon) and Algiers (Algeria) are not safe to live in. Harare has scored poorly because of likely civil unrest and political violence. Libya's Tripoli has scored poorly because of the ongoing war and incessant fighting in the city. Lagos was impacted negatively by a high threat of terrorism. Douala suffers from high criminal activities, as well as Senegal's Dakar. Algiers is always on the brink of terroristic threats.
Other cities that make up the list for the least livable cities include Karachi (Pakistan), Damascus (Syria), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).
On the other hand, the most livable city in the world is Vienna (Austria).
Below are the ten least livable cities in the world, 2018:
1. Damascus, Syria
2. Dhaka, Bangladesh
3. Lagos, Nigeria
4. Karachi, Pakistan
5. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
6. Harare, Zimbabwe
7. Tripoli, Libya
8. Douala, Cameroon
9. Algiers, Algeria
10. Dakar, Senegal
The most livable cities in the world, 2018:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Osaka, Japan
4. Calgary, Canada
5. Sydney, Australia
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Toronto, Canada
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Adelaide, Australia
Header image credit - Wikipedia (market in Lagos)