The Economist: Damascus is the least livable city on the planet
The Syrian capital has maintained its position as the least livable city on the planet. The Austrian capital Vienna has returned to become the most livable city in the world.
June 23, 2022, 10:32 am

The Economist: Damascus is the least livable city on the planet

Damascus-al-Hijaz square

The war-torn Syrian capital, Damascus, retained its first place as the least livable city on planet earth.

According to the annual report published by The Economist Thursday (June 23), the Syrian capital has maintained its position as the least livable city on the planet. The Austrian capital Vienna has returned to become the most livable city in the world.

According to the report issued by the intelligence unit of the Economist magazine, Vienna snatched the first place from Auckland, which fell to 34th place due to the restrictions of the Corona virus pandemic.

The report said: "Vienna, which slipped to 12th place in our rankings in early 2021 with the closure of its museums and restaurants, has returned to the number one position it held in 2018 and 2019."

The report indicated that stability and good infrastructure are among the city's most important attractions for its residents, backed by good healthcare and plenty of opportunities for culture and entertainment.

The Austrian capital was followed by the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and the Swiss city of Zurich, while Geneva ranked sixth, and Frankfurt in Germany ranked seventh.

The ranking of Canadian cities in the list was as follows: Calgary in joint third, followed by Vancouver in fifth and Toronto in eighth.

Japan's Osaka and Australia's Melbourne ranked 10th, Paris ranked 19th, an increase of 23 places over last year, while the Belgian capital, Brussels, ranked 24th, after Montreal, Canada.

London ranked 33rd in the world most liveable, while Barcelona and Madrid ranked 35th and 43rd, respectively.

The Italian city of Milan ranked 49th, the American city of New York ranked 51st, and the Chinese capital, Kane, ranked 71st.

Madrid, the capital city of Spain (Photo: Pixabay)

The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was not included this year after the Russian invasion in late February, while Russian cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg fell in the rankings due to "censorship" and the impact of Western sanctions.

Lebanon's capital, Beirut, devastated by an explosion in a port in 2020 and grappling with a crippling financial crisis, was not included in the ranking of business destinations.

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