Karachi Among World’s Least Liveable Cities in 2025 Global Index
Karachi has been ranked the fourth least liveable city in the world in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Livability Index 2025, released Tuesday. The city landed at 170th out of 173 cities, surpassing only Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tripoli (Libya), and Damascus (Syria) — the lowest-ranked city on the list.
Karachi, the only Pakistani city assessed in the report, continues to face challenges in areas like stability, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and environment, which form the basis of the EIU’s evaluation criteria.
The Livability Index, compiled annually by the research arm of The Economist Group, measures more than 30 indicators across five categories to rank global cities.
Top Performers: Western Europe Dominates
This year, Copenhagen was crowned the most liveable city in the world, achieving an impressive overall score of 98/100. It replaced Vienna, last year’s leader, which slipped to second due to two failed terrorist attempts that lowered its stability score. Zurich tied with Vienna for second place, followed by Melbourne (4th) and Geneva (5th).
The top 10 list featured strong representation from Western Europe and the Southern Hemisphere, with cities like Sydney (6th), Osaka (7th), Auckland (8th), Adelaide (9th), and Vancouver (10th) making notable appearances.
Global Trends & South Asia’s Struggles
The 2025 report highlights several regional trends. Cities in South Asia largely ranked near the bottom due to air pollution, extreme weather, and geopolitical instability, including military tensions in Kashmir, which impacted the scores of several Indian cities.
In contrast, cities in the Middle East — particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE — saw improved rankings due to advances in healthcare and education.
UK cities like London, Manchester, and Edinburgh dropped in the rankings due to civil unrest and homelessness. In North America, Canadian cities experienced score declines due to weaker healthcare performance, while New York ranked 69th overall.
Despite some economic relief through easing inflation, the report warns of rising geopolitical tensions as a growing threat to urban stability and quality of life worldwide.
