There are over 10,000 cities worldwide, spread across six of the seven continents. Cities are measured in metrics to understand various factors that might cause them to be considered the best or worst cities. Some metrics include healthcare, stability, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. These factors determine a country, state, city, or locality’s quality of life scores.
The Economist Intelligence Unit releases a list annually, letting us know who’s the best and worst based on these various metrics. They found that the 10 worst cities to live in globally were in only three of the six continents to have cities: Asia, Africa, and South America.
The health of a city isn’t just based on the city itself, but also on the quality of life in its country of origin. Unfortunately, many countries suffer from endless conflict, lack of resources, violence, corruption, and unstable political systems. These factors diminish their city’s capacity to overcome systemic issues. As a result, some countries fare worse than others, and some cities suffer the most because of these difficult circumstances.
10. Tehran, Iran
Tehran is the capital city of the diverse, mountainous, and arid Iran in the north-central Iran region. It’s home to over 9 million citizens. While the city itself is historically impressive, having existed for some 200 years and transforming into a somewhat metropolis. However, since the Iranian Revolution of 1978 to 1979, the country and city have fallen into disrepair.
Iran ranks as one of the worst countries in the world for political instability. This has led to declining living conditions around the country, which can be seen on full display in Tehran. The city is populated by devastatingly poor neighborhoods. In addition, the country has been negatively viewed by the world for almost its entire history with the modern world, which has had its own adverse effects on the economy.
Recently elected president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad managed to capitalize on the poor conditions of Iranian citizens by proposing the country share the country’s oil wealth. If he plans on keeping this promise, we may see Tehran improve in the coming years. As it stands, however, Tehran ranks lowest for culture and environment amongst all the other countries in the bottom ten positions on the Global Livability Index. They also rank low in infrastructure and healthcare.
9. Douala, Cameroon
Cameroon achieved independence from France in 1960. In the decades that followed their newfound independence, Cameroon experienced a great deal of prosperity. At first, there was a concentration on educational facilities, rural development, diversification of farm production, and industrialization. After that, however, there was a noticeable backslide in how the Cameroon government handled the growing economy. Thanks to a decline in export commodities and economic mismanagement in the 1980s, Cameroon entered a recession that lasted until the late 80s. Since then, they’ve relied heavily on exports, making their economy unpredictable. With the addition of corruption, Cameroon remains in economic limbo despite ambitious plans to change that come 2035.
Douala is the most populous city in the country, with 3.9 million people. As it stands, 24% of the country’s population lives in poverty. This widespread poverty is a failure of the education system and a lack of infrastructure. While playing a pivotal role as Cameroon’s capital city and chief port, Douala is a city in crisis. External factors aside, the city is unsafe because of rising gang violence, an inadequate healthcare system, failing infrastructure, and the lack of adequate education. Douala has one of the lowest healthcare scores in the world. This is an issue of funding and a lack of qualified doctors.
Another major issue facing everyday citizens of Douala, and Cameroon as a whole, is the high cost of living. Douala is the economic hub of the country, but the issues facing this city are immense, widespread, and rooted in the very identity of Cameroon.
8. Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has been known for its tumultuous rule under former president Robert Mugabe. Mugabe was president from when Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980 until his resignation in 2017. However, his time in office led to the collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy, which was felt throughout the country.
Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe and the industrial and commercial hub of the country. The city lies in the northeastern part of the landlocked nation. While not currently experiencing a civil war or any true conflicts, civil unrest remains a continuous threat in Harare and around Zimbabwe. The country remains plagued with severe problems such as inequality, economic instability, poor health care, overcrowded public transport, as well as frequent water and power outages.
This capital city scores low in almost every category, with some faring far worse than others. Its healthcare is the most deficient healthcare system in the bottom ten cities globally, with a score of 20.8, tied with Lagos, Nigeria. Education ranks relatively high in comparison with a score of 66.7. However, private education in the city means public schools suffer from staff shortages. While Mugabe isn’t in power, the damage he caused over nearly 4 decades in power remains a heavy burden on the country and Harare.
7. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city. It’s located north of the Burigane River in the country’s south-central region. The city is home to 22.48 million people and the center of Bangladesh’s political, economic, and cultural life. So why is this city ranked so poorly? Overpopulation and overcrowding are a large part of why this city is suffering.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. Dhaka has a significant problem with the number of people that inhabit the city and the ever-expanding population size, putting further strain on the city’s capabilities and resources. The slums are growing exponentially and have been for more than a decade. Quality housing is elusive, as is clean air, clean water, and general sanitation. Dhaka’s intense monsoon season puts further pressure on city infrastructure incapable of handling the influx of water, often flooding the city with sewage. Finally, the traffic and blackouts that cause havoc on the country remain problematic.
The city isn’t haunted by issues that many other cities and countries face. Stability remains relatively standard, but that’s the only aspect of the city ranking about 50. Healthcare and infrastructure have the lowest scores. With conditions only worsening and climate change exacerbating other issues, Dhaka is a city with too many people and insufficient resources to adequately address long-standing issues. While stability in the city remains steady now, it is questionable whether that is sustainable given these inadequate living conditions.
6. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It takes up half of the island of New Guinea and is home to one of the world’s worst cities, Port Moresby. Situated on the Gulf of Papua’s eastern shores, Port Moresby holds the harbor and a small population of roughly 400,000 people.
While a relatively small city, Port Moresby is suffering due to high unemployment and, as a result, intense violent crime. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as Port Moresby is a city filled with inconsistencies. For example, basic services like sanitation, water, energy, refuse collection, sewage, etc., are provided differently between formal and informal areas.
On top of all these problematic factors, it only gets worse when looking at healthcare and education. While both are available, facilities are often dilapidated, poorly resourced and managed, and ineffective. Port Moresby is a lawless city with low economic opportunities and poor living conditions. At the same time, the population continues to grow well beyond the means of the city. Papua New Guinea isn’t much better as a country, considering it’s a hotbed of human rights abuses against women, girls, asylum seekers, refugees, same-sex couples, and more.
While changes are being implemented. The government, ripe with corruption, often is too slow to meaningfully change the status quo. As a result, it’s unclear if Port Moresby will see any significant changes in the coming years.
5. Karachi, Pakistan
Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, but it’s also one of the world’s worst cities to live in. This financial and industrial hub is a port city and plays an important role in Pakistan’s economy. Karachi is suffering from pollution, crime, traffic, faltering public transport, unstable power, water supply, and so much more. What’s worse is that Pakistan is one of the many Asian countries facing increased rainfall and more disastrous Monsoon seasons as a result of climate change. This is making a bad situation far worse.
Karachi has inadequate infrastructure and waste management systems, and the heavy rains mean they’re putting further pressure on the systems already in place. In 2020, after a particularly dire monsoon season, rain remained in the city for longer than in other affected areas of the country. It led to a rise in homelessness, unsanitary conditions, power failures, and a lack of clean water.
These are issues that the city faces continuously while also struggling with political instability. Governance issues in Karachi are long-standing. They continue to cause chaos in the region, with nobody making meaningful progress in addressing Karachi’s issues. No one government can agree, from a municipal to the national level, which means progress and change hang in limbo. Karachi will continue to have heavier rainfall and monsoon seasons, so change isn’t just wanted; it’s desperately needed.
4. Algiers, Algeria
Algeria is a nation wealthy in natural resources and one of the most vital economies in North Africa and the Middle East, thanks to export trades of natural gas and petroleum. Algiers is the country’s capital and chief seaport and plays an essential role in the country’s economic status.
Despite the country’s apparent wealth, its people don’t get a share of that wealth and live in abject poverty. Poverty in the country impacts a quarter of the population. Also, Algeria is politically unstable and host to numerous human rights abuses pertaining to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, migrants, sexual orientation, and women. These factors make life in Algeria and, in turn, Algiers nightmarish.
Several factors, such as a lack of democracy, increased political conflict, poverty, unemployment, crime, and significant cuts to government spending, are resulting in the continuous freefall of Algiers. The city ranks lowest in stability, healthcare, and infrastructure. After authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s death, a new president was elected. Maybe Algeria can finally see long-awaited progress and changes, including in the fractured city of Algiers. Only time will tell.
3. Tripoli, Libya
Libya is a country that resides mostly in the Sahara desert, with most of the population focused on the coasts and hinterlands. The capital, Tripoli, lies on the Mediterranean coast in the northwestern region of Libya and is the country’s largest city and its most prominent seaport.
Tripoli has long been a city in a troubled nation. There’s no control in the country, with governments failing to make an impact on the decisions and governance of the country. At the same time, armed militia groups have more power throughout the country. The country of Libya never really recovered from the Gaddafi regime, which fell in 2011 after Gadaffi’s assassination. It quickly plunged the country into two separate civil wars. When the enemy that united these militias fell, the militias turned on one another due to ideological differences. While there were signs of progress towards democracy post-civil war, the country has notably backslid back into division and brutality. This is largely due to a lack of strong civil institutions and a large militia presence.
As a result of the deep-rooted political instability and heavy militia presence throughout Libya, Tripoli is a city on edge. Nobody is safe, the cost of living is astronomical, and there’s a lack of power, medicine, and economic opportunities, all in a hostile environment. Tripoli ranks in some of the lowest percentiles for stability, healthcare, culture, and environment, with infrastructure and education fairing only slightly better.
2. Lagos, Nigeria
Until 1991, Lagos was the capital of the African country of Nigeria. While its official title changed, Lagos has remained the largest city in Nigeria and one of Saharan Africa’s largest cities. Lagos has one of the largest populations of any city in Africa, with a population of 15.3 million, beaten only under 300,000 by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lagos is a critical city for Nigeria as it’s the country’s chief port. When Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Lagos became its capital for just over three decades. The biggest problem facing Lagos? The city continues growing too fast. In the next 50 years, Lagos is anticipated to become the most populous city on the continent, with a population of 100 million people. It’s currently buckling at just 15.3 million.
Unfortunately, Lagos has suffered from intense instability and a lack of adequate healthcare and education. Lagos’s most prominent issues are widespread socioeconomic inequalities, marginalized youth, lack of education and training, and inadequate infrastructure. The power struggles in Lagos and Nigeria at large don’t make matters easier. Thanks to a largely inefficient and confused government both on a local and national level, the city is failing to deliver basic services, and most efforts to change go nowhere. While the city grows at a rapid pace, the city can’t keep up and is crumbling under the pressures of a city with incredible opportunities and potential to become an economic powerhouse.
1. Damascus, Syria
Damascus is the capital of Syria, the country located in southwestern Asia on the east coast of the Mediterranean. The country gained independence in 1946 and for decades experienced great political instability. Things didn’t improve much when the country came under authoritarian rule in 1970. Then-president Hafez al-Assad focused on building up the country’s weaponry and military and strained the country’s budget, which led to a lack of development. Upon his death in 2000, his son took the throne, and things seemed like they might improve, but that was short-lived. Internal tensions in the country led to a civil war in 2011, which is still ongoing.
As a result of the ongoing civil war, Damascus and many other cities and regions of Syria have experienced absolute devastation. As a city, Damascus is densely populated, home to just over 2.5 million people. The city has an unfortunate history of being a challenged land by the powers of East and West Syria.
The city, and country as a whole, have experienced hardships in the face of civil war. As a result of al-Assad’s regime of human rights abuses and political failures have led to widespread pain in the country. Citizens of Syria face the potential of being imprisoned or executed if caught on the wrong side of this brutal war, and that’s on top of the raging inequality and poverty they’re already facing. Damascus faces some of the lowest scores in infrastructure, education, and healthcare and the lowest in stability. With no end in sight for Syria’s civil war, it’s unlikely things will improve any time soon. Damascus is a historically significant city that’s managed to mostly survive the war. Still, the longer the war rages on, the direr its chances get.