TUNIS — Libya's conflict-hit capital is rated among the bottom-five least liveable city in the annual liveability ranking provided by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). With 40 points out 100, Tripoli dropped from 132 in 2014 survey to the fifth least liveable city in 2015, according to the ranking, which scores 140 cities around the world based on lifestyle challenges. Ranked after Tripoli, the worst scoring cities on the list are, respectively Lagos (Nigeria), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and, not surprisingly, Damascus (Syria). Among these bottom five cities, Damascus and Tripoli have seen sharp declines in liveability over the past four years due to a surge in instability across the Middle East. The ranking report, however, said that since 2010 average livability across the world has fallen by one percent, led by a 2.2 percent fall in the score for stability and safety. According to the EIU, “incidences of terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia have been compounded by civil unrest in the US and ongoing conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya.” The EIU said the ranking is based on studying 30 factors spread across five areas such as stability, infrastructure, education, health care, and environment. Top five most liveable cities are Melbourne (Australia), Vienna (Austria), Vancouver (Canada), Toronto (Canada), and Adelaide (Australia). — Libya Herald
