Karachi has been placed among the world’s least liveable cities, securing the 170th position out of 173 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026.
Only Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus have been ranked lower than Karachi, while cities like Tehran and Kyiv, which are affected by conflict, scored slightly better with the 164th and 166th ranks respectively.
The EIU’s ranking assesses living conditions across 173 cities, serving as a global standard for urban liveability and resilience. It evaluates factors such as stability, health care, culture & environment, education and infrastructure, quantifying the challenges to an individual’s lifestyle in different locations.
Karachi received an overall score of 43 out of 100, similar to Algiers, performing poorly in most categories except education. Its scores were 20 for stability, 54 for health care, 36 for culture & environment,
75 for education and 52 for infrastructure.
Cities in the Middle East impacted by the US-Iran conflict also saw declines in the ranking. Muscat experienced the largest drop, falling 14 places to 123rd following a series of Iranian drone strikes. Doha, known for attracting expatriates, dropped seven spots to 108th. Dubai and Abu Dhabi each fell four places to 79th and 76th respectively.
In contrast, the most liveable cities included Copenhagen at the top, followed by Vienna and Melbourne. Vancouver, ranked 9th, was the sole North American city in the top 10, with Tokyo, ranked 10th, being the only megacity on the list.
