Ukraine's capital Kiev, exhibiting an extremely poor performance in the livability index prepared by the British broadcaster The Economist, entered the list of the top ten least livable cities in the world. In the research evaluating a total of 173 cities, Kiev ranked 166th, finding itself at the very bottom of the table. This low grade was achieved at a time when the city is trying to cope with the devastating effects of the ongoing war. The serious challenges the city faces in terms of infrastructure, security, and overall quality of life are also reflected in this ranking. The situation reveals how visible and prominent the difficulties faced by the local people and authorities in the city are on an international scale.
This global ranking, published annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), evaluates the living conditions of cities based on a wide variety of criteria. Major factors such as the quality of healthcare, cultural and environmental dynamics, education level, infrastructure adequacy, and overall stability form the basis of this rating. It is believed that the massive devastation caused by armed conflicts in the country, particularly on stability and infrastructure, was determinant in Kiev's low score. War conditions have caused many vital services in the city, from healthcare to transportation, to be disrupted or largely damaged. In this context, the rating clearly demonstrates the devastating consequences of a military crisis on civilian living spaces through an international metric.
This year's data shows that Kiev has dropped one more place in the list compared to the previous year. The Ukrainian capital, which was in the 165th place last year, has fallen to the 166th place as of 2026. This small but significant drop indicates that the city's recovery process has not yet begun or that the current crisis environment continues. On the other hand, among the cities at the very bottom of the list, namely below Kiev, are Syria's capital Damascus, Libya's capital Tripoli, and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. The common feature of these cities is that they have long been struggling with civil war, deep political instability, or severe socio-economic crises. Kiev's evaluation in the same category as these cities reveals the gravity of the humanitarian and structural situation in the region from a different perspective.
In contrast, the title of the world's most livable city did not change hands this year and was awarded to Denmark's capital Copenhagen for the second time. Copenhagen solidified its place at the top with its superior infrastructure, strong healthcare system, high environmental awareness, and the cultural richness it provides. Interestingly, Kiev was deemed worthy of a score even lower than that of Zimbabwe's capital Harare in the list. Zimbabwe is known as a country suffering from ongoing economic turmoil and infrastructure problems for years. However, according to the current picture, Kiev has been evaluated in a more unfavorable position than even this African capital in terms of the daily living challenges caused by being at the center of an active war zone.
In addition to The Economist's global research, the news also touches upon some interesting details regarding local living preferences within Russia. In evaluations made within Russia itself, Sochi, a holiday resort on the Black Sea coast, managed to enter the top three among the country's most attractive and livable cities. Furthermore, the Russian people show significant interest in regions such as Kaliningrad and Yaroslavl among the cities they prefer to live in. These local trends help us understand not only the political and military tensions experienced on a global scale but also the dynamics of regional development and cities becoming relatively attractive. In light of all this data, it has once again emerged that a city's livability depends not only on its natural beauty; but also heavily on the presence of peace, stability, and sustainable urban policies.
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