The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its annual 2025 Global Liveability Index on June 16. This year, the Danish capital, Copenhagen, claimed the top spot, ending Vienna’s three-year dominance. The city achieved perfect scores of 100 for stability, education and infrastructure, moving up from second place to become the world’s most comfortable city to live in. Find out the top 10 cities here.
While Western Europe dominated the upper rankings, cities in the Middle East and Africa ranked among the least liveable. Let’s find out where the rest of the world stands in the list.
The worst city to live in the world
According to the 2025 Global Liveability Index, the least liveable city is Damascus in Syria, with 140th rank. Tripoli, Dhaka, and Karachi also remained near the bottom.
The annual index list asses 173 cities from around the globe under five categories, including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Under these categories, Damascus scored 20 in stability, 29.2 in healthcare, 33.1 in culture and environment, 25 in education, and 32.1 in infrastructure. The overall rating was 28.
For perspective, Copenhagen got 100 in stability, infrastructure, and education, while 95.8 and 95.4 in healthcare and culture and environment, respectively. The Danish capital’s index rating was 98.
Dhaka and Karachi rank…
Per the 2025 Global Liveability Index, Karachi in Pakistan ranked 134 and Dhaka in Bangladesh ranked 139. While Karachi’s overall rating stands at 38.7, Dhaka was given a 33 rating.
| City | Stability | Healthcare | Culture and environment | Education | Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi | 20 | 45.8 | 33.3 | 58.3 | 51.8 |
| Dhaka | 55 | 16.7 | 28.9 | 33.3 | 26.8 |
Meanwhile, New Delhi and Mumbai ranked 120 and 121 in the liveability list. The survey highlighted that the liveability score of some cities dropped more than others. London dropped from 45th to 54th, Manchester from 43rd to 52nd, and Edinburgh from 59th to 64th. These shifts were linked to rising civil unrest and growing urban homelessness, per the report.
