The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister publication of The Economist of London, says Lagos, is the worst global city to live anywhere in the world — after Damascus in war-torn Syria.
According to its 2017 liveability report, which considers 140 major cities, Melbourne in Australia retained its crown as the best city to live anywhere in the world, for seven years running.
Vienna, Austria, where the headquarters of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is located, comes in as the second most liveable city in the world.
Vienna is closely followed by Canadian cities, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary at the third, fourth and fifth spots respectively. Calgary, however, ties with Australian city, Adelaide.
EIU considers stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure, in determining the liveability of cities across the globe. The unit blamed terrorism for the fall in the standing of Lagos, Nigeria.
“Terrorism has also been compounded by unrest and, in more extreme cases, civil war in some countries. Iraq, Libya, Syria and Turkey remain the subject of high-profile civil unrest and armed conflicts, while a number of other countries, such as Nigeria, continue to battle insurgent groups,” the report read.
“Of the more poorly scoring cities, 12 continue to occupy the very bottom tier of liveability, where ratings fall below 50% and most aspects of living are severely restricted.
“Continued threat from groups such as Boko Haram acts as a constraint to improving stability in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.”
According to the rating, Tripoli in Libya is a better city to live in than Lagos, Nigeria.
Manchester in the UK had the highest drop for the year, after a terror attack killed 22 people at the Ariana Grande concert in the city back in May 2017.
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