KARACHI – A fresh report by The Economist has once again ranked Karachi among the world’s least livable cities.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Livability Index 2024, Karachi ranks 170 out of 173 cities worldwide.
The report evaluates cities across five key categories: healthcare, culture and environment, education, infrastructure, and stability. Karachi scored just 42.7 out of 100 points. In contrast, Copenhagen was declared the most livable city with 98 points, followed by Vienna, Zurich, Melbourne, and Geneva.
Karachi is the only Pakistani city included in the list, and it ranked near the bottom.
Last year, Karachi shared a similar position with cities like Lagos, Tripoli, Algiers, and Damascus. In 2022, it was ranked 169th.
In October 2024, the Asian Development Bank warned that Pakistani urban centers—especially Karachi—are becoming increasingly unlivable due to traffic congestion, pollution, mismanagement, and growing class divisions.
The city’s eastern district is home to a large low-income population, while wealthier residents live in cantonment zones and private housing societies. Karachi also faces deep-rooted ethnic and sectarian divisions, which have sparked repeated unrest in the past.
In another report published in July 2024, Karachi was named the second most dangerous city for tourists, citing threats from crime, terrorism, natural disasters, and poor basic infrastructure.
