is a country rich in history but until very recently, was gripped by a bitter civil war which saw hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced. Damascus, 's capital, was not immune from the fighting which erupted in 2011.

Damascus, the world's oldest capital, was named in 2024 as the worst city to live in. It was ranked lowest in which names the most and least liveable cities across the world by assessing key factors such as stability, healthcare and education. In the report, it said years of civil war had wrecked Damascus' economy, scoring "very poorly for stability" and no improvement in liveability - something it also attributed to Libya's Tripoli which was ranked one place higher.

The city, which has also been dubbed the "pearl of the East" due to its beauty and cultural significance, scored an overall score of 30.7 out of 100 and was placed last out of the 173 cities surveyed.

It ranked particularly low on stability (20), while its highest score (40.5) was for culture and environment.

However, there will be hope Damascus can move off the bottom this year following the collapse of 's regime in December.

's new transitional government has now been sworn in - four months after the Assad family was removed from power.

The new authorities in Damascus are working to bring back stability to the war-torn country after more than a decade of civil war and heightened tensions in the .

The Austrian capital of Vienna was named the most liveable city in 2024 for the third year in a row by .

The city on the banks of the River Danube received perfect scores of 100 for stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Danish capital Copenhagen was a close second and Zurich, , was third.

Sydney and Melbourne in also ranked highly, as did Calgary, .

According to , Western Europe remains the world's most liveable region.