Dhaka Ranks Third Least Liveable City in the World Despite Mega Projects
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2025, Dhaka has slipped again this time to 171st out of 173 cities. Last year, it was 168th, and the year before that, 166th. The trend is clear and troubling: things aren’t getting better, they’re getting worse.
Even after pouring billions into metro rails, flyovers, and flashy expressways, Dhaka finds itself near the very bottom of the world’s livability scale in 2025 just barely staying ahead of Libya’s Tripoli and Syria’s Damascus, two cities devastated by years of war.
On paper, it might seem like progress is happening. The city now boasts metro lines, new expressways, and glossy infrastructure projects. But these cosmetic upgrades haven’t solved Dhaka’s most painful problems. Unbreathable air. Chaotic traffic. Overflowing sewage. Fragile healthcare. A total lack of planning. For those living in this city, the reality is hard to ignore.
The Struggle Behind the Score
This year, Dhaka’s scores across the EIU’s five key categories paint a grim picture:
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Stability: 45
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Healthcare: 41.7
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Culture and Environment: 40.5
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Education: 66.7
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Infrastructure: 26.8
Overall score: 41.7 out of 100.
This isn’t just about numbers — it’s about how people live. For millions of residents, life in Dhaka is a daily fight for basic needs: clean air, safe roads, functional hospitals, and a place where children can grow up without fear of disease or disaster.
The Index, released on 16 June, evaluates 173 cities every year and is considered one of the most trusted global indicators of urban quality of life. The fact that Dhaka continues to slide lower each year shows a disconnect between development spending and meaningful change on the ground.
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While Dhaka sinks, Copenhagen rose to the top this year, ending Vienna’s three-year streak as the world’s most liveable city. The Danish capital earned near-perfect scores:
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Stability, Infrastructure, Education: 100
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Healthcare: 95.8
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Culture and Environment: 95.4
Overall score: 98 out of 100.
What’s striking here is not just the numbers, but the contrast. In Copenhagen, residents enjoy parks, clean public transport, high-quality education, and free, reliable healthcare. In Dhaka, those remain distant dreams for most citizens.
Western European cities dominated the top tier of this year’s index, while cities in regions hit by war, political instability, or poor governance filled the bottom. The reality is, Dhaka doesn’t belong to a war zone yet its living conditions are ranked just above two cities devastated by armed conflict.
The EIU’s Global Liveability Index is more than a ranking. It’s a mirror held up to the face of urban governance. And for Dhaka, that reflection is hard to look at.
If billions have been spent on mega projects that don’t touch the root of our problems, what exactly are we investing in? When will basic human needs be prioritized over concrete and showpieces?
Until then, the people of Dhaka continue to carry the weight of a city that looks ahead but fails to take care of those already here.
