Dhaka has been ranked 166th among 172 cities in the global liveability index-2022. This implies that the Bangladesh capital is the world’s seventh least liveable city.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the index on the basis of five key issues – sustainability, healthcare, culture, environment and infrastructure. Dhaka scored 39.2 points in the 100-point index.
However, it advanced three notches this year as last year it was the fourth least liveable city among the 140 cities of the world with 33.6 points.
According to the report, the Austrian capital, Vienna, has made a comeback as the world’s most liveable city. It snatched the top spot from New Zealand's Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Six of the top ten positions have been occupied by European cities. The Austrian capital was followed by the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and Switzerland’s Zurich. Fellow Swiss city Geneva came sixth, Germany’s Frankfurt seventh, and the Netherlands’ Amsterdam ninth.
Calgary and Vancouver of Canada have been placed respectively at the fourth and fifth places in the index.
“Stability and good infrastructure are the city’s main charms for its inhabitants, supported by good healthcare and plenty of opportunities for culture and entertainment.”
The EIU found Damascus of war-torn Syria as the least liveable city, which was followed by Lagos of Nigeria, Tripoli of Libya, Algiers of Algeria, and Karachi of Pakistan.
The EIU offers deep insight and analysis of the economic and political developments in the increasingly complex global environment; identifying opportunities, trends, and risks on a global and national scale.
Formed in 1946 with more than 70 years of experience, it is ideally positioned to be a commentator, interpreter and forecaster on the phenomenon of globalisation as it gathers pace, enabling businesses, financial firms, educational institutions and governments to plan effectively for uncertain futures.