Lagos Ranked Fourth Worst City To Live In The World

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister publication of The Economist in London, has revealed that Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, now ranks as the fourth worst city to live in the world.

According to the EIU’s 2023 Global Liveability report, Lagos surpassed Algiers (Algeria’s capital), Tripoli (Libya’s capital), and Damascus (the war-torn capital of Syria) in terms of low liveability scores.

The report examined 173 cities, considering 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

In the previous year, Lagos held the position as the second worst liveable city and had maintained that spot for two consecutive years, only trailing behind Damascus, which faces social unrest, terrorism, and conflicts.

The EIU noted that Lagos saw improvements in healthcare and education, contributing to its slight rise in the rankings. However, corruption remains a persistent issue.

While corruption continues to be a challenge, Lagos has received additional public funding for infrastructure and public services, which have also benefited from the decline in COVID-19 cases.

“Even at the bottom of our rankings, cities such as Lagos (Nigeria) and Algiers (Algeria) have gained ground, with some improvements in their healthcare and education systems.

“Both are in countries that are energy exporters and have to some extent benefited from higher global oil and gas prices.

“Although corruption continues to be an issue, some additional public funding has been made available for infrastructure and public services, which have also benefited from the decline in covid cases,” the report said.

Vienna, the capital of Austria, and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, maintained their positions as the first and second most liveable cities globally.

They were commended for their exceptional combination of stability, robust infrastructure, quality education and healthcare services, and vibrant culture and entertainment scenes.

Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, along with Vancouver in Canada, secured the third, fourth, and fifth spots respectively on the top of the rankings.

KanyiDaily recalls that Lagos maintained its position on the Global Liveability index by ranking the third worst city to live in the world, according to the 2016 ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit released today.