Dhaka shares spot with Zimbabwe's Harare for 7th least liveable city in world

In the recently released Global Liveability Index 2023, prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has been ranked as the 7th least livable city in the world.  

The EIU index evaluates living conditions in 173 cities based on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. 

Dhaka received an overall index score of 43.8 out of 100 – sharing the 166th spot with Harare, Zimbabwe – indicating significant room for improvement. The figures were 39.2 and 33.5 in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

The top 10 most liveable cities -- 

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Vancouver, Canada
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. Calgary, Canada
8. Geneva, Switzerland
9. Toronto, Canada
10. Osaka, Japan

Dhaka received an overall index score of 43.8 out of 100, indicating significant room for improvement. The stability score for the city was 50, while healthcare and culture and environment received scores of 41.7 and 40.5, respectively. 

The education sector received a score of 75, and the infrastructure score stood at 26.8.

The city ranked the 3rd and 2nd least liveable city in the world in the 2019 and 2018 editions of the index, respectively.

Dhaka performed worst in 2012 when it was named as the world's least liveable city, and in the following five years too it was among the four worst performers in the global index.  

Meanwhile, in South Asia, Pakistan's Karachi secured the 5th spot on the list of the world's least liveable cities with a total score of 32.5.

The Global Liveability Index highlighted the recovery of living conditions in cities worldwide from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Cities in the Asia-Pacific region, including Dhaka, have shown significant rebounds in their liveability scores. 

The top least liveable cities -- 

1. Damascus, Syria
2. Tripoli, Lebanon
3. Algiers, Algeria
4. Lagos, Nigeria
5. Karachi, Pakistan
6. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
7. Dhaka, Bangladesh and Harare, Zimbabwe
8. Kyiv, Ukraine
9. Douala, Cameroon

However, Dhaka's ranking as the 7th least livable city indicates the challenges it still faces in improving the quality of life for its residents.

The top-ranking cities in the index were Vienna, Austria, securing the first position with an impressive score of 98.4, followed by Copenhagen, Denmark, and Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. 

These cities stood out for their stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure, contributing to their high liveability scores.

In contrast, the bottom ten cities in the index faced various challenges, with Damascus, Syria, ranking as the least livable city for over a decade. 

The index emphasised that cities with high levels of crime, congestion, and density tended to fare less well.