The 10 worst cities to live in the world in 2017

A number of cities around the world are becoming tougher places to live due to growing threats of terrorism and political and social unrest.

In particular, heightened terrorist threats from groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram continue to impact the stability and liveability of cities across the world.

Taking this into consideration, the Economist Intelligence Unit has just released a ranking of 140 of the most — and least — liveable cities in the world.

The index ranks cities worldwide by how "livable" they are, awarding them points out of 100 according to stability, healthcare, culture/environment, education, and infrastructure.

Cities in Australia, New Zealand and Europe continue to dominate the top 10 most liveable cities — with Melbourne scoring top — while cities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia — with the exception of the Ukraine's Kiev — account for the worst.

The survey only addresses a selection of cities or business centres that people might want to live in or visit. It does not include places like Kabul in Afghanistan or Baghdad in Iraq, but does rank Damascus and Tripoli, which are unlikely to attract visitors but were deemed relatively stable just a few years ago.

In total, 12 cities continued to occupy the very bottom tier of liveability, where ratings fall below 50% and most aspects of living are severely restricted.

Scroll down to see the 10 worst cities to live in the world in 2017, according to the ranking.

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10. Kiev, Ukraine — 47.8/100 points. The capital of Kiev saw the biggest decline in terms of liveability — 21.4 points — of all 140 cities surveyed. It is the also the only European city in the 12 that scored below 50 points. The city is still in a recovery that remains under threat from unrest, economic instability, and the ongoing civil war taking place in the Donbass region.

Activists of the Svoboda (Freedom) Ukrainian nationalist party hold torches as they take part in a rally to mark the 107th birth anniversary of Stepan Bandera, one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).Reuters

9. Douala, Cameroon — 44/100 points. The country has fallen into crisis following tensions between English-speaking and French-speaking areas. The city's healthcare scored particularly low, with just 25 points.

Reuters/Joe Penney

8. Harare, Zimbabwe — 42.6/100 points. The country's capital scored lowest of all of the least liveable cities in terms of healthcare, with just 20.8 points, but relatively high in terms of education at 66.7 points.

Zimbabwe's anti-riot policemen look on as protesters hold flowers during a peaceful demonstration which later turned violent after police dispersed about 100 people protesting against central bank plans to re-introduce local banknotes in Zimbabwe's capital Harare, August 17, 2016.Reuters

=7. Karachi, Pakistan — 40.9/100 points. Karachi scored just 20 points in terms of stability, but much higher in terms of education (66.7 points) and best in terms of infrastructure of the 10 least liveable cities (with 51.8 points).

Boys aboard an abandoned boat collect recyclable items through polluted waters in front of fishing boats at Fish Harbor in Karachi, Pakistan, August 17, 2016.Reuters

=7. Algiers, Algeria — 40.9/100 points. The capital and largest city of Algeria, Algiers' worst score was for its infrastructure (30.4 points), while its best was for education (50 points).

A woman hangs her washing out to dry on her roof top in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria.Reuters

5. Port Moresby, Papa New Guinea — 39.6/100 points. The city scored lowest in terms of stability (just 30 points), but earned a higher pointage for education (50 points) and culture & environment (47 points).

Getty/Handout

4. Dhaka, Bangladesh — 38.7/100 points. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh scored just 26.8 points for infrastructure. However, it has the second highest pointage for stability of the 10 least liveable cities, with 50 points.

Bangladeshi Muslim activists of an Islamic group shout slogans as they gather in front of Baitul Muqarram National Mosque to protest against the deaths of Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 18, 2016.REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

3. Tripoli, Libya — 36.6/100. Tripoli witnessed the third largest fall in the standard of living — 6.2 points — of all the cities surveyed. Escalations in hostilities in Libya have prompted this sharp decline as the threat to stability from Islamic State continues to be felt across the Middle East and North Africa.

Libyans take part in a celebration rally in front of the residence of Muammar Gaddafi at the Bab al-Aziziyah complex in Tripoli September 13, 2011.REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

2. Lagos, Nigeria — 36/100 points. Continued threat from groups such as Boko Haram act as a constraint to improving stability in Nigeria’s largest city. The city scored lowest of all countries analysed in terms of stability, at just 10 points.

People crowd a street at the central business district in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos ahead of Christmas December 23, 2016.REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

1. Damascus, Syria — 30.2/100 points. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the Syrian capital saw the second biggest decline in liveability, falling 16.1 points. It has seen a stabilisation in its dramatic decline in liveability but remains at the bottom of the ranking of the 140 cities surveyed.

A boy rides a bicycle near rubble of damaged buildings in the rebel held besieged town of Douma, eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta