The annual list released by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Global Livability Ranking, ranked Damascus, Syria as the world’s least liveable city in 2019, for the seventh year in a row.

The Economist Intelligence Unit is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper. It submits an annual report which ranks 150 cities for their urban quality of life.

With sectarian militias, attacks, and daily detention of civilians, the overall situation in Damascus ranks the least by the EIU’s standards of liveability, which include stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

The 5 most liveable cities in the world are, in respective order, Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney, Osaka and Calgary. The bottom 5, with Damascus as the least liveable, are Damascus, Lagos, Bangladesh, Tripoli, and Karachi.

The index ranks the cities across 30 factors, which are then used to make a cumulative weighted score between 0 to 100. Out of the 30 indicators, however, only four are quantitative and calculable, making the list entirely subjective and relative; however, many indicators - and their respective scores - are in line with human rights’ groups reports that focus on humanitarian situations in different regions around the world.

From the Middle East, the cities faring the highest are Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Vienna, Austria was ranked the most liveable city in the world for the second consecutive year. 

The top 10 ranked most liveable in 2019 are, respectively: Vienna, Austria (ranked most liveable for the second year in the row); Melbourne, Australia; Sydney, Australia; Osaka, Japan; Calgary, Canada; Vancouver, Canada; Toronto, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Adelaide, Australia.

While the bottom 10, with Damascus as the least liveable, are Damascus, Syria; Lagos, Nigeria; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tripoli, Libya; Karachi, Pakistan; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Harare, Zimbabwe; Douala, Cameroon; Algiers, Algeria; and Caracas, Venezuela.

You can find an overview of the report, and order the full version, here: http://www.eiu.com/public/thankyou_download.aspx?activity=download&campaignid=liveability2019.