LAGOS has been described as the fourth worst city on earth in which to live in a recent Global Liveability Ranking survey published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in the United Kingdom.

In the survey, Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, was ranked the 137th liveable city in the world on the list of 140. Among the things the survey looked at included healthcare, education, safety, culture, environment and infrastructure.

Unsurprisingly, the Syrian capital Damascus, which has been ravaged by the country’s civil war , was last on the list coming 140th. It was followed by Dhaka in Bangladesh, Port Morseby in Papua New Guinea, Lagos in Nigeria and the Libyan capital of Tripoli, which has also been the victim of an Islamist insurgency.

Melbourne was named the best city in the world to live in for the fifth year in the row while Vienna in Austria came second followed by the Canada cities of Vancouver and Toronto and Australia’s Adelaide. Melbourne again achieved a near-perfect score of 97.5 out of a possible 100, while Vienna recorded 97.4, Vancouver 97.3, Toronto 97.2 and Adelaide 96.6.

An EIU spokesman said: “Those that scored best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density. These can foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure.”

According to the report, the world has become a more dangerous place to live as the global stability score fell by 2.2% over the last five years. Several cities across the globe have suffered a decline due to recent terror attacks, ongoing conflict and general instability.

Paris, the victim of last year’s violent Charlie Hebdo attack, was one of six western European nations whose liveability score decreased. Another seven cities in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine where Russian rebels are battling the country’s troops, have also become worse places to live.

Ukraine's capital, Kiev, saw the sharpest fall over the last 12 months and now ranks among the 10 least liveable cities in the list. Deteriorating living conditions in these regions affects the global average, according to the survey.

Survey editor Jon Copestake, added: “The threat to personal safety, whether in the form of crime, unrest or conflict, has knock-on implications for other aspects of liveability. Last year, the conflict in Ukraine, the terror attack in Paris and austerity in Athens formed a sobering backdrop to regional liveability.”

Meanwhile, Moscow and St Petersburg’s scores were negatively impacted by Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Also, its anti-homosexuality stance has meant many artists and tourists have boycotted the country as a tourist destination.

In Western Europe, Paris and Athens experienced the sharpest declines. Attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices affected the French capital’s ranking. It fell out of the top 20 cities into 29th place.

Athens has felt the force of Greeks crippling economic crisis and austerity, which has hindered other areas like healthcare. The Greek capital, ranked 72nd, was the only city in Western Europe to fall outside the top tier of liveability.

However, several cities did buck the trend by registering improvements in scores since 2010. Zimbabwe’s Harare was the most improved city, going up by 5.1 points to 42.6 out of 100, followed closely by Kathmandu in Nepal which went up 3.9 and the opulent city of Dubai which went up 3.4 points to 74......

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