Last week, Karachi was included among the ‘least-liveable cities in the world’, ranking 170th among 173 cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) annual Global Liveability Index 2026.

Karachi scored poorly in nearly all metrics except education, with an overall score of 43 out of 100 — higher only than Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus. It scored 20 on stability, which accounts for 25 per cent of the score, 54 on healthcare, 36 in culture and environment, 75 in education and 52 in infrastructure, which is 20pc of the score.

While the ranking takes into account several criteria with varying weightage towards the final score, the development has reignited the conversation around the state of Karachi’s infrastructure and the issues its citizens continue to face.

Here are some images of the current state of the city’s main thoroughfares and the plight of its residents.

Header image: A large pile of accumulated trash on a Karachi road. — White Star