Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city, and Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine have been ranked among the top 10 world’s least liveable cities, according to the 2025 Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Lagos, the economic hub of Nigeria scored 43.5 out of 100 according to the index ranking.
The EIU highlighted that factors such as overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and rising crime rates have contributed to Lagos State emerging among the World’s least liveable cities in 2025.
The EIU’s index also evaluates cities based on five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the EIU’s report revealed that Lagos grapples with severe traffic congestion, unreliable power supply, and strained public services, making daily life a struggle for many of its over 20 million residents.
However, despite its challenges, Lagos shows glimmers of progress. The city was recently ranked as the world’s fastest-growing emerging technology ecosystem in 2025, with startups raising over $1.2 billion in 2023 alone.
Further breakdown of the EIU report shows that Zimbabwe’s Harare, Algeria’s Algiers, and Libya’s Tripoli have also been named among the world’s most difficult places to live in 2025.
Cities at the bottom of the liveability rankings are predominantly located in the Middle East and Africa, reflecting persistent instability, limited infrastructure, and constrained access to quality services.
Below is the full list of the top 10 World’s least liveable cities in 2025;
1 Venezuela- Caracas 45
2 Ukraine- Kyiv 44.5
3 Papua- New Guinea Port Moresby 44
4 Zimbabwe- Harare 44
5 Nigeria- Lagos 43.5
6 Algeria- Algiers 42.8
7 Pakistan- Karachi 42.7
8 Bangladesh- Dhaka 41.7
9 Libya- Tripoli 40.1
10 Syria- Damascus 30.7
