Karachi: In yet another global assessment, Karachi has been ranked among the five least livable cities in the world, according to the latest Global Livability Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The city’s dismal placement at 170 out of 173 cities underscores the deep and persistent urban crises it faces.
The ranking places Karachi only slightly ahead of Dhaka, Tripoli, and Damascus, reflecting poor performance across five key indicators: healthcare, infrastructure, education, environment, and stability.
Despite its extremely low ranking, Karachi was the only Pakistani city included in the list.
At the top of the 2025 list is Copenhagen with a score of 98, followed closely by Vienna and Zurich with scores of 97.1. Melbourne and Geneva also ranked high, scoring 97.0 and 96.8 respectively.
The annual survey is designed to help companies assess hardship allowances when relocating employees abroad. The EIU evaluates cities based on five categories: healthcare, culture and environment, education, infrastructure, and stability.
In previous years, Karachi has consistently performed poorly. In last year’s ranking, its standing was comparable to cities like Lagos, Tripoli, Algiers, and Damascus. The year before, Karachi was ranked 169 out of 173.
In October last year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned that urban livability in Pakistan was deteriorating, with major cities becoming increasingly ineffective. Karachi, in particular, scored poorly on various competitiveness indices, struggling with overcrowding, pollution, and lack of aesthetic urban planning.
The ADB report also pointed to deep class divides in Karachi, where the elite predominantly reside in cantonment zones or gated communities, while low-income groups are pushed to the overcrowded Karachi East district. The city is also said to be increasingly segregated along ethnic and religious lines, contributing to repeated episodes of violence in the past.
Karachi is the only Pakistani city experiencing some degree of vertical urban expansion due to limited land availability and urgent housing needs.
In July, a Forbes Advisor report ranked Karachi the second most dangerous city in the world for tourists, assigning it a safety score of 93.12 out of 100 — indicating a high level of personal risk. The ranking cited crime, violence, terrorism threats, natural disasters, and economic vulnerabilities as key concerns.
The report also noted that the U.S. State Department has given Karachi a Level 3 travel advisory — "Reconsider Travel" — and rated the city’s infrastructure safety among the worst globally, reflecting the poor availability and quality of essential services and facilities.
