The 20 least liveable cities on Earth

Mercer used several factors determine which cities are most and least desirable to live in

Mercer unveiled its 19th annual Quality of Living ranking last week. To determine which cities are most and least desirable to live in, it takes into account a range of factors including economic and political environment, public transport, health, infrastructure and recreation and housing. According to the rankings, these are 20 of the least liveable cities on Earth.

1. Iraq 

It comes as no surprise that Iraq is the least liveable country in the world. It has been been off-limits to travellers for several years.



2. Bangui, Central African Republic

The city has been deemed too dangerous to visit. Reports of killings violence, human rights abuses and looting continue across the country.



3. Sana'a, Yemen 

Foreign offices of several countries have advised against any travel to the country.



4. Port-au-Prince, Haiti 

Haiti's capital has been long known for its lawlessness. The risk of criminal activity is high in this city.



5. Khartoum, Sudan 

Although it is considered among the least liveable cities, Khartoum can be visited by tourists. It is home to more pyramids than neighbouring Egypt.



6. N'Djamena, Chad 

British travellers have been warned by the Foreign Office to steer clear of the city at all costs.



7. Damascus, Syria 

With the ongoing war in Syria, any form of travel to the region has been advised against.



8. Brazzaville, Congo 



9. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo 



10. Conakry, Guinea 

According to the survey, the city draws very few tourists and isn't a very appealing place to live.



11. Nouakchott, Mauritania 

There is a high threat from terrorism and kidnapping in this city. In 2016, the US government received information that terrorists were planning to carry out an attack in places where US citizens were gathered.



12. Bamako, Mali



13. Niamey, Niger 

There is a high threat from terrorism in the region owing to Niger's involvement in the regional fight to counter Boko Haram.



14. Tripoli, Libya 

Libya has been deemed unsafe to visit.



15. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso  

The entire Burkina Faso is off-limits to British travellers.



16. Antananarivo, Madagascar



17. Dushanbe, Tajikistan 



18. Dhaka, Bangladesh 

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated but least visited countries. It suffers from immense poverty but small scale tourism exists in the capital.



19. Abuja, Nigeria 



20. Lagos, Nigeria 

Lagos, Nigeria's largest city has a population of 16 million. Only four cities in the world are larger- Delhi, Beijing, Karachi and Shanghai.



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