Karachi continues to rank among world’s ‘least liveable’ cities: survey

Karachi, the port city that once gleamed with state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern education, has been ranked as the least liveable city in global survey once again.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister organisation to The Economist, has ranked 173 cities across the globe on a number of significant factors, including health care, culture and environment, stability, infrastructure and education, CNN reported.

The scores of the cities were awarded on a scale from one to 100, with one signifying an intolerable living situation and 100 representing an ideal one. According to the report, Karachi has been placed at the 169th position, receiving an overall score of 42.7, with a failure to perform well particularly in the stability indicator, scoring only 20.

The megalopolis received scores of 54.2 for healthcare, 35.9 for culture and environment, 75 for education, and 51.8 for infrastructure. Meanwhile, other cities, including Lagos in Nigeria, Algiers in Algeria, Tripoli in Libya and Damascus in Syria trail right behind Karachi with even worse living conditions.

The report comes at a time when Pakistan is facing a protracted political and economic crisis. On the contrary, Austrian city Vienna continues to reign at the top of the list with a remarkable overall score of 98.4. Denmark's Copenhagen retained its second position, while Switzerland's Zurich moved up from sixth place to third on the list.

Western Europe performed well as 30 cities scored an average score of 92 out of 100, but the region saw an overall decline in stability scores, which was attributed to "increasing instances of disruptive protests" and crime.

The 10 top ‘most liveable cities” of 2024 are: 1. Vienna, Austria; 2. Copenhagen, Denmark; 3. Zurich, Switzerland; 4. Melbourne, Australia; 5. Calgary, Canada; 6. Geneva, Switzerland; 7. Sydney, Australia; 8. Vancouver, Canada; 9. Osaka, Japan; and 10. Auckland, New Zealand.