How Did Lagos Make It to the Top 10 Worst Cities to Live In?
Lagos State, Nigeria’s busiest city, has been ranked as the fourth least liveable city in the world according to the Global Liveability Index 2024 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) assessed 173 cities and placed Lagos at 170th.
The EIU’s assessment evaluates cities based on 30 indicators grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Lagos scored low across these categories: stability (25.0), healthcare (37.5), culture and environment (54.4), education (41.7), and infrastructure (53.6).
Vienna, Austria, remains the most liveable city, scoring perfectly in four categories and nearly perfect in culture and environment.
Damascus, Syria, is the least liveable city with an overall score of 30.7, particularly poor in stability and healthcare. Tripoli, Libya, and Algiers, Algeria, also rank poorly, just above Lagos.
Factors Why Lagos is Ranked the Least City To Live In
The population and size of Lagos are rapidly increasing, and expanding beyond the boundaries of the state.
This expansion has led to a housing shortage and numerous slums.
Most people living in the rural areas lack basic amenities like water and electricity
The city also faces serious security problems and lawlessness, worsened by crowded living conditions, and few recreational areas.
Life becomes even more challenging due to traffic congestion, the hours Lagosians spend on the road due to traffic conditions are unhealthy.
