Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial capital, has been ranked as second world’s least liveable city.
It ranked second behind Damascus in an annual report by The Economist, which placed Melbrourne, Australia, as the world’s most liveable city for the seventh year running.
The Lagos rating was a fall from the third position from the bottom as contained in the 2016 report.
The 2017 ‘Global Liveability Report’, which was released on Wednesday by The Economist’s Intelligence Unit, stated that terrorism and diplomatic tensions were eroding living conditions worldwide.
The report was premised on the criteria of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
The “overall rating” of Lagos State stood at 36 per cent with stability, pegged at 10 per cent; healthcare, 37.5 per cent; culture and environment, 53.5 per cent; education, 33.3 per cent and infrastructure, 46.4 per cent.
Agence France Presse reports that conflict and terrorism were the major factors responsible for those cities finishing on the bottom of the survey.
“Violent acts of terrorism have been reported in many countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, France, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, the UK and the US.
“While not a new phenomenon, the frequency and spread of terrorism have increased noticeably and become even more prominent,” the report added.
Melbrourne, the Australian city was ranked number one out of 140 cities, slightly ahead of the Austrian capital Vienna, with the Canadian trio of Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary completing the top five.
The survey revealed that medium-sized cities in wealthy countries fared best.
“These can foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure,” the report said.
Major hubs like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo which were hives of activity reportedly lost points due to high levels of crime and overcrowded public transport.
SOURCE: PUNCH
