Damascus, once a sophisticated metropolis, was recently voted the world's fourth worst city to live in, reports the Independent.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Global Liveability Ranking not only listed the most and least liveable cities in the world, it also examined the countries with the most rapidly decreasing standard of living.
In a fall from grace, Damascus' city ranking dropped by 27 points over the past five years, making it the most dramatic decrease of the 140 countries.
Sadly, Tripoli, Tunis, Cairo, and Bahrain also experienced a rapid decrease in liveability since 2010.
The Libyan city of Tripoli experience the third biggest decrease in liveability, losing 21.9 points, while Tunis, once a pillar of democracy in the turbulent region, was ranked fourth, having lost 6.6 points.
Factors such as the presence of conflict and economic conditions greatly affected liveability.
Jon Copestake, editor of the survey, said: “The threat to personal safety, whether in the form of crime, unrest or conflict, has knock-on implications for other aspects of liveability."
