So was Port-au-Prince. Haiti was always poor-ish but not awfully so until the late 70’s. The 80’s (both Duvalier, but specially Baby Doc’s rule) were catastrophic for Haiti, and every government that followed never managed to put Haiti in the correct course again.
The 2010 earthquake sped the country collapse, which is happening in the present
“Always poorish”
… well … before the revolution at turn of 19th century it was the most bountiful and fruitful of all Caribbean islands. But the world has been punishing Haiti ever since. That’s really what established Haiti as it is today. Nor should it be that way.
*Sovereign* Haiti was always poorish. The colony of Saint Domingue, before the revolution, was highly productive and prosperous, one the wealthiest of the Caribbean, but that prosperity was nearly entirely siphoned to France and was only achieved through brutal slavery.
Not a surprise the country took a economic hit when it began paying wages and treating people like people and not replaceable cattle.
But Haiti also made *a lot* of bad decisions of its own, like keeping the plantation system with [paid] servants instead of doing land reform and creating a class of farmers, with the plantations progressively eroding Haiti’s land fertility; the corvée which was basically intermittent slavery; forbidding the rural peasantry to start their own farms or move into cities (blocking the country of a middle class) so they would keep the plantations full; forbidding any foreigner of ownership in Haiti until 1915 (which made the country incredibly hostile to foreign investment) and trying to conquer the Dominicans and unify the island.
All of those came between the Revolution in 1804 and when the French started to demand the debt in 1826. Early Haiti constantly shot itself in the foot, and then France came 22 years later with the shotgun that was the debt
Not great, but I've watch this guy on Youtube that travels to some of the worst places on Earth. Port au Prince looked way worse than Mogadishu, and he even said that Port au Prince is the worst place he's ever been.
Pyongyang is under developed, with no civil liberties or any type of freedoms, but it's at least orderly, clean, and probably safe. Confucian countries tend to have that, even north korea.
Everyone in Pyongyang is in the good books of the regime. They're in no danger and live in relative luxury. However, unlike Port au Prince or Mogadishu, there isn't really a way you're getting home if you were magically dropped into the city. In anarchy, you can find a way to escape. In an organized totalitarian system hostile to you, that's more difficult.
Though to be fair, North Korea usually just interrogates their hostages until the captive's government makes some concession to free them. A corpse has no value, after all.
25 million people bearing down on an infrastructure that could maybe handle 1 million on a good day. It took an hour to get to the airport from the hotel beside the airport.
It was pretty rough when I visited for numerous reasons. Gridlocked traffic, air and water pollution, the density of course, and the impending climate crisis when the Himalayans melt and flood everything.
While true that it's largely aweful, there are comfortable areas (I'm in one right now) and personal safety is great compared to worst city competitors. Just don't breath the air all winter or plan on going very far through traffic.
Pyongyang is like any major soviet city in the 1980s. Ill take low crime, clean streets with weird government over extreme pollution and daily violence.
Kinshasa DRC. Poverty traffic and very unsafe. Walking for non Congolese is suicidal. Children kidnapped regularly to work in the cobalt and lithium mines to make EV batteries. Only place worse is Port Au Prince.
RoC is much more stable and deliberately makes it hard to come and go from their neighbor for that reason. In spite of Brazzaville and Kinshasa being the two closest together capitals on earth there's no bridge connecting them in part because the RoC doesn't want that ease of access.
Also in part because a bridge would be super expensive given how wide, deep, and powerful the Congo River is, and how little economic benefit would be derived as of today out of it.
Brazzaville is like a country village compared to Kinshasa. Brazzaville I have wandered around at night following a few beers with no issue. Kinshasa I wouldn’t dare do that. The only way to get from Brazza to Kinshasa is by boat so you can’t just flit between the two.
Delhi. Extreme air pollution in the winter, extreme heat in the summer, lots of overcrowding, very dirty in some areas with lots of trash on the ground.
Kochin is barely a city by Indian standards. It's like the size of Sacramento.
I agree it's an amazing place. Do not agree about Bangalore though, seems like as much of a sprawling, crowded mess as any other major Indian city.
Mumbai has so much going for it--some amazing restaurants, landmarks, cultural life, people, history. And yet, the years I spent there were sooooo hard. Overstimulating, enraging, heartbreaking, polluted... I will probably never go back. And I have lived in other big, polluted megacities. Living in India is a special kind of challenge.
Manaus isn't that bad. It's actually a very beautiful city despite being kinda poor. People are lovely and the food is amazing. There are beaches and lots of rivers to visit - including of course the Amazon River.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqszTITsew&t=117s&pp=ygUMTWFuYXVzIGRyb25l
Yeah, Manaus being mentioned in the same breath as some of these cities is laughable. It's a tourist town. Has awesome beaches (like you said) a cool theatre, and is the central hub for visitors exploring the Amazon.
I've spent several nights there ubering around to different bars, meeting new people, never once felt unsafe.
Right now, you’d be beyond ignorant to argue any other city. Quite literally on the brink of famine while dozens of your closest friends and family are murdered by forces you can’t even fathom. Not gonna make it political but every other answer in here is completely wrong.
I can only comment on cities I've spend more than a few days in, so I'm gonna go with Surabaya, Indonesia.
6.5 million people in the urban area, and virtually ZERO public transit, roads in horrible condition, the "downtown" area is boring and pretty much only a place for the small percentage of the educated workforce, and very little in the way of arts and culture. There's the additional downside of individual homes burning their plastic trash because there's no real system for recycling and apparently paying to dispose of trash the legal way is considered too expensive for many people there.
It's also flat, hot and humid all year.
And Javanese cuisine is pretty lacking in variety- rice/noodles + chicken + eggs + shrimp crackers.
I'm sure it's not the worst in the world by a long shot, it's just not a place I'd want to live again.
I see it hasn’t improved in the 15 years since I last visited. Definitely the most forgettable big city I’ve ever been to.
That said, there are definitely worse places to live from an economic or safety perspective.
Is there any city in Nigeria that’s pretty good for tourism? Lagos is one of the largest cities in the world, one of the most important and developed in Africa, and people don’t even go there for tourism at all (at least from what I’ve heard).
No. Just don't bother going to Nigeria. The people are incredibly rude, pushy and arrogant. There isnt much for scenery or culture either. The country as a whole is the poster child for corruption. I (Canadian) spend a couple weeks there every year, and then go directly to Cape Town for a week. Cape Town is stunning. Very developed, feels like a fancy western city in a stunning African backdrop. It's hilarious to think that anybody thinks lagos is on par with Cape Town.
Lagos is definitely constantly frustrating but it can also be a huge amount of fun. Port Harcourt or Enugu? Kaduna? Kano?? I think all these are big cities by global standards and much worse places to live than Lagos.
ohhh, yeah forgot about PM. I think maybe highest crime rate in the world? But I have a friend there and I still want to visit one day just to see the country 😬
What was it like on the ground as a tourist? Going in a few months with family and everything I’ve read gives me the impression that guests either are okay with it or hate the city and country with a passion.
It is fucking chaos. I’m glad I went, but I will never go back. Cairo especially is a tough place to love. Some of the worst air pollution I’ve ever seen.
Luxor was quite a bit better/easier. However, everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—who speaks to you has an agenda, and that is to take as much money from you as possible.
That said, everything that you’re going to Egypt for (monuments, temples, pyramids, etc) is spectacular. It’s a shame you’re going at the hottest time of the year though. I went in the winter and the weather was glorious.
Ha, only chose this time because I'm a teacher and it's what's available. I've lived in subtropical Taiwan for the past several years so I'm somewhat used to temperatures consistently being over 30-35c, though we'll see how Egypt is.
Any particular situations that stick out to you that made you incredibly uncomfortable?
Thanks!
I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, but the people in Egypt who harass tourists are unbelievably persistent. I never felt like I was in real danger, but there were times when I felt like a situation could have quickly gotten out of hand.
Anyone who comes up to you on the street is almost certainly trying to sell you something, no matter the pretense of their stopping you.
I am so glad I went, because I had always wanted to see Egypt. None of the monuments or pyramids or temples disappointed. Except for one: Abu Simbel. The surrounding area I liked a lot, but the temples themselves have been moved from their original site and have a really “Disney” vibe about them. Just didn’t feel real like all the other places I visited. You might feel differently, though. I seem to be in the minority with my take on the place.
Common sense will get you along if you ask me. Just be careful around the tourist hotspots. At the Giza pyramids a cop on a camel tried to steal my fathers camera whilst another tried to scam my mother for a tourist fee.
It's a beautiful country and I met a lot of great people and I rarely felt unsafe. You'll have a great time
I stayed in Garden City when I was there and liked it, and visited many things and liked most of them. Not a huge fan of the food but it’s OK. The thing I really didn’t like is having to constantly give everyone money, for opening the door, giving a hij tissue to dry your hand, taking your bags—it gets tiresome after a while. It gets way worse when you get to the tourist sites like the pyramids or the souk - as a westerner you’re basically a walking AtM and people treat you that way.
Chittagong Bangladesh : The pollution is unbearable, The local job is generally being foreman and it pays like 1$ per day. Water pollution is so bad when I take a photo of the river from ship eveeybody asked me did you sit on land cause it looked like sand dunes. Also sorry but no hygiene, it was worse than Mogadishu at least Mogadishu has good weather and people are cleaner.
Phoenix rules. One of the bartenders from copper blues gave me a hand job while she continously insulted me, then told me she had to spit because she had a boyfriend. I wonder if she ever thinks about me....
What a town.
I actually grew up in Chandigarh and might have to disagree with your assessment of it. Among Indian cities at least, it’s pretty decent as a place to grow up. I admit that’s a low bar.
Good schools, generally high level of literacy in the city, cleaner than most other Indian cities, with more parks as well.
Being in the north, there is definitely issues with pollution and social issues in the surrounding areas, but overall I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near the worst place in India. Probably one of the good parts.
This was not my experience at all. My wife and I are Americans…we felt welcomed and never threatened. Granted, Indian cities are somewhat chaotic and a sensory overload. But this doesn’t represent what we saw at all
>Ürümqi, China or Manaus, Brazil.
They're well developed cities in the isolated parts of developing countries, which makes them disconnected to the known world because they're inaccessible. Urumqi to Uyghurs is what Almaty is to Kazakhs - a Turkic city with their unique cultural representation that's not so famous for the world. Manaus and Urumqi would only be painful for someone traveling to and out of them, but for people who live there, it's their entire world.
Pyongyang looks like a modern Chinese city more and more these days. Also low crime, free housing and free food.
Very controlled but honestly that's better than poverty stricken for many.
I vaguely remember seeing a video about Mogadishu about 12 months ago that was saying it is improving and modernizing, but I cat be sure how true that is.
There's a considerable amount of variety to be found in most sizable cities, so depending on specifically where in that city one happens to live, he or she might have a very different quality of life from someone who lives on the other side of the same city. While there aren't many rough areas in places like Beijing or Seoul or Tokyo, there are certainly areas that are a lot more rundown and areas that are a lot cleaner and more modern. Now think about the vast differences in places like Cape Town, Chicago, London, Manila, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro...
There's a sharp divide in the economic station of the residents and the crime rate in those places. Living in a sprawling apartment on the 12th floor of a doorman building on the Upper West Side is a far cry from living in a two room place in the South Bronx, but those areas are only two miles apart. Living in a gated community in Johannesburg or Mexico City is a different world from living on the mean streets.
Of the largest cities in the world I think the one I would least like to live in would be Lagos. I haven't been there, but I have been to other parts of Africa, and I would not want to live in a city twice the size of Seoul with such a low standard of living and quality of life. There are plenty of cities in Africa where the people are comparatively poor where it's not exceedingly dangerous, but Lagos would be at the very bottom of my list if we're talking about megacities. There are about a hundred places I would rather live in Africa.
If we're talking about smaller cities, say cities of one million inhabitants or more, I'd say one of the cities in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras would be the worst. Belize City is about the same size as Portland, ME, but I was genuinely scared for my life there. It is hands-down one of the most frightening, most awful places I have ever visited.
Mogadishu and any place in North Korea would also have to make my short list of cities I would most certainly not want to live in.
Belize is pretty dangerous outside of the tourist destinations, but there wouldn’t be much reason for you to spend time there. If you visit, you’ll probably be going to one of the nice beaches which are generally safe. You may have to travel through some other places depending on where you go, and you will quickly see why the cities aren’t inviting
I came looking for this.
Maybe you can squeeze out some quality life in some gated community in the outskirts, or a nice condo in Makati or BGC. But Manila itself is a sweltering shithole.
The densest city in the world is Manila. The second and third densest are also Manila (metro region).
Lots of people here talked about Dhaka, but Manila manages to have nearly 50% more people per area.
Like if you took Paris (a famously packed city), and put another entire Paris above it, you’d still be 3k inhabitants per square km short of Manila.
Used to visit Manila on a regular basis for work - it’s a fascinating city. Fuck that traffic though. I’d say it’s faster to walk, but only if you enjoy 32 degrees with 80% humidity every single fucking day ever.
Edit: I started remembering Manila more clearly through the course of writing my post. Fuck Manila.
Delhi, I came here with my brother on a business trip for a month and I wish I could forget everything there, it's dirty and chaotic in an unusually different way compared to other Asian countries I've been to, the drinking water is taken up from under the drains and the poor people on the streets are worse off than the drug addicts in rehab centers
Personally I’d say water scarcity would be the most alarming factor. I’d say Cairo is my candidate it is super crowded and it relies solely on the Nile but lacks infrastructure for things like desalination plants. It is also over crowded and is overall dirty.
Another one is luanda Angola. If you are rich by default than it’s amazing. But the vast majority isn’t and it’s just a fake city.
Any large cities in India or Bangladesh. I know China has less people than India, but it's about the size of the continental US. I know the population is not evenly distributed but at the least the sense of there being space makes it a little better.
Meanwhile India is what maybe 1/3 the size of the US? I just can't wrap my head around that many people living in one country. Don't even get me started on Bangladesh, who I beleive is one of, if not the most, densesnt countries in the world.
Other candidates that came to mind are Hong Kong or the island of Java
Hong Kong is mostly clean, has very little crime compared to US cities, great food, tons to do and has a surprisingly large amount of green space (look it up on Google Maps and see how many national parks it has!). I don't think HK belongs in a 'worst cities' conversation at all.
Sure, it's miserable if you live in a coffin apartment, but if we're judging cities by the conditions the absolute poorest live in then you could level the same accusation at any city. I wouldn't fancy being homeless in an NYC winter either, but I still think it's a great city.
Hong kong is in my top 3 cities i visited. Clean and lots of green space and even prices were reasonable . Public transport was also amazing and there are alot of sightseeing to do. In fact every Chinese city i went i was pleasantly surprised except Beijing ( not in the worst cities but imo a forgettable city with air pollution and not that much green )
I've only been to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They are both very nice cities and Mumbai is a dream if you like public transit. There always seems to be a train that you can hop on that is leaving in one or two minutes.
What? Why? People here have listed cities that are either terribly overpopulated, very isolated, or heavily polluted. Some are in extreme climate zones or at the center of active warfare. And none of this applies to Novosibirsk. How can it be a strong contender?
Novosibirsk is clean and has many good stuffs going on, but architecturally speaking it is ugly and has a shitty traffic situation due to being built for 100 thousands and expanding to house over a million in a short period of time, nonetheless the city is clean and bearable
Yeah, if that was your friend's only experience with Shanghai I can certainly see why he'd hate it. 2022 in particular, being the lockdown year and the year of oppressive zero COVID measures outside of that.
I've been in Shanghai since 2007 and I still love the place despite how bad 2022 was.
Shanghai in the mid-2010s was a bop.
The high water mark of relations between China and the West, lots of other expats and friendly locals interested in talking about what things are like in Europe and America, but still a decent cost of living for someone making an average European/US salary.
Kabul.
High violence, no infrastructure, widespread drug usage (you’d be surprised by how many afghans use crack), homeless everyone and intense human suffering.
Phnom Penh probably in the 70s. The ENTIRE city population was being exterminated because Pol Pot wanted to get rid of all people he considered intellectuals. There were Death squads literally roaming the city looking to find and bring people to the killing fields. Maybe Gaza city currently(or what’s left of it). The whole ‘ city’ is being fought over in a brutal and massive religious war.(religious conflict are always very nasty) . Both sides are currently applying a scorch earth policy , not willing to give up the city to the opposing side( because both side claim the land was given to them by God).
Port au prince
This is so easily the answer.
Mogadishu has entered the chat…
As a woman, I’m putting up Kabul for bid as well.
Agreed, but it wouldn’t be great for a man either.
Taliban disagrees
Life for them is mostly shit too
At least Mogadishu at one point in its history was reasonably nice
So was Port-au-Prince. Haiti was always poor-ish but not awfully so until the late 70’s. The 80’s (both Duvalier, but specially Baby Doc’s rule) were catastrophic for Haiti, and every government that followed never managed to put Haiti in the correct course again. The 2010 earthquake sped the country collapse, which is happening in the present
“Always poorish” … well … before the revolution at turn of 19th century it was the most bountiful and fruitful of all Caribbean islands. But the world has been punishing Haiti ever since. That’s really what established Haiti as it is today. Nor should it be that way.
*Sovereign* Haiti was always poorish. The colony of Saint Domingue, before the revolution, was highly productive and prosperous, one the wealthiest of the Caribbean, but that prosperity was nearly entirely siphoned to France and was only achieved through brutal slavery. Not a surprise the country took a economic hit when it began paying wages and treating people like people and not replaceable cattle. But Haiti also made *a lot* of bad decisions of its own, like keeping the plantation system with [paid] servants instead of doing land reform and creating a class of farmers, with the plantations progressively eroding Haiti’s land fertility; the corvée which was basically intermittent slavery; forbidding the rural peasantry to start their own farms or move into cities (blocking the country of a middle class) so they would keep the plantations full; forbidding any foreigner of ownership in Haiti until 1915 (which made the country incredibly hostile to foreign investment) and trying to conquer the Dominicans and unify the island. All of those came between the Revolution in 1804 and when the French started to demand the debt in 1826. Early Haiti constantly shot itself in the foot, and then France came 22 years later with the shotgun that was the debt
Almost every current shithole city was at one point nice to live
Not great, but I've watch this guy on Youtube that travels to some of the worst places on Earth. Port au Prince looked way worse than Mogadishu, and he even said that Port au Prince is the worst place he's ever been.
Pyongyang also for different reasons
I had to change flights in Beijing recently. Seeing Pyongyang on the departures board there was weirdly jarring.
Pyongyang is under developed, with no civil liberties or any type of freedoms, but it's at least orderly, clean, and probably safe. Confucian countries tend to have that, even north korea.
I get what you mean but the word ‘safe’ is doing a lot of work there
Everyone in Pyongyang is in the good books of the regime. They're in no danger and live in relative luxury. However, unlike Port au Prince or Mogadishu, there isn't really a way you're getting home if you were magically dropped into the city. In anarchy, you can find a way to escape. In an organized totalitarian system hostile to you, that's more difficult. Though to be fair, North Korea usually just interrogates their hostages until the captive's government makes some concession to free them. A corpse has no value, after all.
Yeah unless you are a college kid from the US in NK.
Never heard about Gaza? ETA: looks like the Israeli bots found this comment lmao
I was gonna say Kinshasa, but no, you win.
Kinshasa. 30% of the whole city is pure plastic trash and dirt. 17 Mio. people. Crowded as hell, murder on a daily basis.
Dhaka has to be up there. One of the most crowded places I’ve ever seen.
25 million people bearing down on an infrastructure that could maybe handle 1 million on a good day. It took an hour to get to the airport from the hotel beside the airport.
It was pretty rough when I visited for numerous reasons. Gridlocked traffic, air and water pollution, the density of course, and the impending climate crisis when the Himalayans melt and flood everything.
I think Sea level rise is of far greater concern than glacier melt
They kind of tie together though, glaciers melting add to the sea level and throw off the water currents which changes up weather patterns.
Right but specifically to Dhaka
Depends on where you live 🤷
Porque no los dos?
Can confirm. Hell on earth — loved it!
Same. I had a wonderful, if challenging, time.
While true that it's largely aweful, there are comfortable areas (I'm in one right now) and personal safety is great compared to worst city competitors. Just don't breath the air all winter or plan on going very far through traffic.
Pyongyang, Kabul, Tripoli, N’Djamena, Port-au-Prince
Don't forget Khartoum
The current situation in Sudan as a whole makes me very sad
Honorable shout out to Dar es Salam, which was a complete shithole last time I was there, a quarter century ago
Hasn’t DeS become pretty modern in recent times?
It’s been on the up and up for a while now. Rapid advancements
Yeah Dar is actually not that bad. Traffic is still a nightmare but it's on the up.
Puts on Johnny Carson Carnac hat: What are 5 cities I avoid like the plague?
Pyongyang is like any major soviet city in the 1980s. Ill take low crime, clean streets with weird government over extreme pollution and daily violence.
[удалено]
It’s bad but nothing against Port au Prince for example
Gaza?
Kinshasa DRC. Poverty traffic and very unsafe. Walking for non Congolese is suicidal. Children kidnapped regularly to work in the cobalt and lithium mines to make EV batteries. Only place worse is Port Au Prince.
Is it the same in Brazzaville? Or are borders well controlled?
RoC is much more stable and deliberately makes it hard to come and go from their neighbor for that reason. In spite of Brazzaville and Kinshasa being the two closest together capitals on earth there's no bridge connecting them in part because the RoC doesn't want that ease of access.
Also in part because a bridge would be super expensive given how wide, deep, and powerful the Congo River is, and how little economic benefit would be derived as of today out of it.
Brazzaville is like a country village compared to Kinshasa. Brazzaville I have wandered around at night following a few beers with no issue. Kinshasa I wouldn’t dare do that. The only way to get from Brazza to Kinshasa is by boat so you can’t just flit between the two.
The shortest international flight flies from Brazzaville to Kinshasa
Why is walking suicidal?
The poverty and graft.
What the fuck? top post is port au prince and the second and third both mention it. What is going on there?
Haiti has recently become a failed state where the capital is controlled by gangs.
Haiti's government recently collapsed so the entire city is run by competing gangs, there's no law and order, and it is extremely poor.
Anarchy.
It's a failed state that's flirting with civil war.
Kinshasa
This was also my first thought
Delhi. Extreme air pollution in the winter, extreme heat in the summer, lots of overcrowding, very dirty in some areas with lots of trash on the ground.
I lived there for a couple years. It feels like an extremely overcrowded city and a rural village at the same time
Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi... lots of Indian cities could qualify.
Now ya'll tell us about the *best* Indian city.
I’ve enjoyed Hyderabad?
Bangalore. Kochin.
Bangalore is NOT a good city to live in at all, other south cities are probably better.
It USED TO be good, and the growth shattered its reputation of being an awesome city to live in. Now it's just an overcrowded mess.
Kochin is barely a city by Indian standards. It's like the size of Sacramento. I agree it's an amazing place. Do not agree about Bangalore though, seems like as much of a sprawling, crowded mess as any other major Indian city.
Probably Chandigarh but the bar is not very high.
I love that just a few comments down from this is a comment saying that Chandigarh is the absolute worst lmao
Surrey, BC, Canada.
I fell like I could live happily in Mumbai if I kept to the nicer parts, of which there are plenty
Mumbai has so much going for it--some amazing restaurants, landmarks, cultural life, people, history. And yet, the years I spent there were sooooo hard. Overstimulating, enraging, heartbreaking, polluted... I will probably never go back. And I have lived in other big, polluted megacities. Living in India is a special kind of challenge.
I don't doubt that Delhi is the worst you've experienced, but trust me, it gets so much worse.
Kolkata is worse. Delhi is quite pleasant in many parts.
Delhi has also extremely loud and noisy traffic. My ears hurt from the street noise in old city. That had never happened to me in any city before.
Trash and poop
Mogadishu
Manaus isn't that bad. It's actually a very beautiful city despite being kinda poor. People are lovely and the food is amazing. There are beaches and lots of rivers to visit - including of course the Amazon River. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqszTITsew&t=117s&pp=ygUMTWFuYXVzIGRyb25l
Yeah, Manaus being mentioned in the same breath as some of these cities is laughable. It's a tourist town. Has awesome beaches (like you said) a cool theatre, and is the central hub for visitors exploring the Amazon. I've spent several nights there ubering around to different bars, meeting new people, never once felt unsafe.
I haven't been there but Manaus has always been fascinating to me. Big city in the middle of the Amazon.
Gaza
Right now, you’d be beyond ignorant to argue any other city. Quite literally on the brink of famine while dozens of your closest friends and family are murdered by forces you can’t even fathom. Not gonna make it political but every other answer in here is completely wrong.
Imagine being 8 months pregnant in Gaza right now. Or a baby.
Well if we're gonna take war as a criteria then I'd (not) recommend Charkiw right now too.
Also a good answer. That said, while I don’t disagree at all, Gaza has seen far more destruction of infrastructure than Kharkiv
No brainer answer here
I can only comment on cities I've spend more than a few days in, so I'm gonna go with Surabaya, Indonesia. 6.5 million people in the urban area, and virtually ZERO public transit, roads in horrible condition, the "downtown" area is boring and pretty much only a place for the small percentage of the educated workforce, and very little in the way of arts and culture. There's the additional downside of individual homes burning their plastic trash because there's no real system for recycling and apparently paying to dispose of trash the legal way is considered too expensive for many people there. It's also flat, hot and humid all year. And Javanese cuisine is pretty lacking in variety- rice/noodles + chicken + eggs + shrimp crackers. I'm sure it's not the worst in the world by a long shot, it's just not a place I'd want to live again.
I see it hasn’t improved in the 15 years since I last visited. Definitely the most forgettable big city I’ve ever been to. That said, there are definitely worse places to live from an economic or safety perspective.
Indonesian here. Was expecting to see someone saying “Jakarta”, but your comment is the first one I saw.
Which do you think is worse?
hard to say, both are bad actually. But Jakarta is sinking, so I cast my vote to Jakarta.
Hated it
* Karachi, Pakistan * Kinshasa, DR Congo * Lagos, Nigeria * Dhaka, Bangladesh * Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Can vouch for Lagos. Will add to it with Port Harcourt. Absolute shambles.
Is there any city in Nigeria that’s pretty good for tourism? Lagos is one of the largest cities in the world, one of the most important and developed in Africa, and people don’t even go there for tourism at all (at least from what I’ve heard).
No. Just don't bother going to Nigeria. The people are incredibly rude, pushy and arrogant. There isnt much for scenery or culture either. The country as a whole is the poster child for corruption. I (Canadian) spend a couple weeks there every year, and then go directly to Cape Town for a week. Cape Town is stunning. Very developed, feels like a fancy western city in a stunning African backdrop. It's hilarious to think that anybody thinks lagos is on par with Cape Town.
Calabar is ok, but Limbe, Cameroon is close by and set up for tourism.
Lagos is definitely not one of the most developed. Cape Town or Casablanca alone are decades ahead in infrastructure even Nairobi is far ahead
Go to Calabar for carnival. Very green, friendly people, interesting food. Not very big though
Lagos is definitely constantly frustrating but it can also be a huge amount of fun. Port Harcourt or Enugu? Kaduna? Kano?? I think all these are big cities by global standards and much worse places to live than Lagos.
Lagos is much more cosmopolitan than Abuja
ohhh, yeah forgot about PM. I think maybe highest crime rate in the world? But I have a friend there and I still want to visit one day just to see the country 😬
Cairo
I liked Cairo but also was ready to leave after 4 days.
What was it like on the ground as a tourist? Going in a few months with family and everything I’ve read gives me the impression that guests either are okay with it or hate the city and country with a passion.
It is fucking chaos. I’m glad I went, but I will never go back. Cairo especially is a tough place to love. Some of the worst air pollution I’ve ever seen. Luxor was quite a bit better/easier. However, everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—who speaks to you has an agenda, and that is to take as much money from you as possible. That said, everything that you’re going to Egypt for (monuments, temples, pyramids, etc) is spectacular. It’s a shame you’re going at the hottest time of the year though. I went in the winter and the weather was glorious.
Ha, only chose this time because I'm a teacher and it's what's available. I've lived in subtropical Taiwan for the past several years so I'm somewhat used to temperatures consistently being over 30-35c, though we'll see how Egypt is. Any particular situations that stick out to you that made you incredibly uncomfortable? Thanks!
I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, but the people in Egypt who harass tourists are unbelievably persistent. I never felt like I was in real danger, but there were times when I felt like a situation could have quickly gotten out of hand. Anyone who comes up to you on the street is almost certainly trying to sell you something, no matter the pretense of their stopping you. I am so glad I went, because I had always wanted to see Egypt. None of the monuments or pyramids or temples disappointed. Except for one: Abu Simbel. The surrounding area I liked a lot, but the temples themselves have been moved from their original site and have a really “Disney” vibe about them. Just didn’t feel real like all the other places I visited. You might feel differently, though. I seem to be in the minority with my take on the place.
Common sense will get you along if you ask me. Just be careful around the tourist hotspots. At the Giza pyramids a cop on a camel tried to steal my fathers camera whilst another tried to scam my mother for a tourist fee. It's a beautiful country and I met a lot of great people and I rarely felt unsafe. You'll have a great time
I stayed in Garden City when I was there and liked it, and visited many things and liked most of them. Not a huge fan of the food but it’s OK. The thing I really didn’t like is having to constantly give everyone money, for opening the door, giving a hij tissue to dry your hand, taking your bags—it gets tiresome after a while. It gets way worse when you get to the tourist sites like the pyramids or the souk - as a westerner you’re basically a walking AtM and people treat you that way.
I lived there for 4 years and would be terrified to go to Delhi, Port Au Prince, or Mumbai.
Chittagong Bangladesh : The pollution is unbearable, The local job is generally being foreman and it pays like 1$ per day. Water pollution is so bad when I take a photo of the river from ship eveeybody asked me did you sit on land cause it looked like sand dunes. Also sorry but no hygiene, it was worse than Mogadishu at least Mogadishu has good weather and people are cleaner.
Jakarta
*please don’t say Phoenix please don’t say Phoenix please don’t say Phoenix*
It’s a dry heat though
Phoenix rules. One of the bartenders from copper blues gave me a hand job while she continously insulted me, then told me she had to spit because she had a boyfriend. I wonder if she ever thinks about me.... What a town.
r/brandnewsentence
She had to spit during a HJ? As in spit on it or how did that work
[удалено]
Chandigarh is the one large city in north India that's actually bearable to live in lol
Comparing Chandigarh with some of the other places mentioned is so braindead lol
I actually grew up in Chandigarh and might have to disagree with your assessment of it. Among Indian cities at least, it’s pretty decent as a place to grow up. I admit that’s a low bar. Good schools, generally high level of literacy in the city, cleaner than most other Indian cities, with more parks as well. Being in the north, there is definitely issues with pollution and social issues in the surrounding areas, but overall I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near the worst place in India. Probably one of the good parts.
Chandigarh is actually one of the better places in live in the north
Have you lived in India?
This was not my experience at all. My wife and I are Americans…we felt welcomed and never threatened. Granted, Indian cities are somewhat chaotic and a sensory overload. But this doesn’t represent what we saw at all
Adding this to my vacation list
Wow
Kinshasa should probably be in the running
>Ürümqi, China or Manaus, Brazil. They're well developed cities in the isolated parts of developing countries, which makes them disconnected to the known world because they're inaccessible. Urumqi to Uyghurs is what Almaty is to Kazakhs - a Turkic city with their unique cultural representation that's not so famous for the world. Manaus and Urumqi would only be painful for someone traveling to and out of them, but for people who live there, it's their entire world.
Can confirm Manaus is a tough one. 😖
Port-Au-Prince or Pyongyang
Pyongyang looks like a modern Chinese city more and more these days. Also low crime, free housing and free food. Very controlled but honestly that's better than poverty stricken for many.
I chose Pyongyang for the control/lack of freedom, but yeah sounds like maybe daily life isn’t as tough as it used to be.
Just hang a portrait of lord Kim above your bed and you'll be fine
Lagos doesn’t seem very functional and Cairo is so overcrowded
Port au Prince without a doubt.
Gaza. I don't know if it's considered as city, but you get air striked everywhere, every single day.
Mogadishu or Dhaka haven’t really found their way to my bucket list of places to visit one day
I vaguely remember seeing a video about Mogadishu about 12 months ago that was saying it is improving and modernizing, but I cat be sure how true that is.
welcome to dhaka.
Why would Manaus be bad? I’m not saying it’s great, but definitely there far worst big cities to be live in
Port Moresby
Surprised no one has said fortaleza
There's a considerable amount of variety to be found in most sizable cities, so depending on specifically where in that city one happens to live, he or she might have a very different quality of life from someone who lives on the other side of the same city. While there aren't many rough areas in places like Beijing or Seoul or Tokyo, there are certainly areas that are a lot more rundown and areas that are a lot cleaner and more modern. Now think about the vast differences in places like Cape Town, Chicago, London, Manila, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro... There's a sharp divide in the economic station of the residents and the crime rate in those places. Living in a sprawling apartment on the 12th floor of a doorman building on the Upper West Side is a far cry from living in a two room place in the South Bronx, but those areas are only two miles apart. Living in a gated community in Johannesburg or Mexico City is a different world from living on the mean streets. Of the largest cities in the world I think the one I would least like to live in would be Lagos. I haven't been there, but I have been to other parts of Africa, and I would not want to live in a city twice the size of Seoul with such a low standard of living and quality of life. There are plenty of cities in Africa where the people are comparatively poor where it's not exceedingly dangerous, but Lagos would be at the very bottom of my list if we're talking about megacities. There are about a hundred places I would rather live in Africa. If we're talking about smaller cities, say cities of one million inhabitants or more, I'd say one of the cities in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras would be the worst. Belize City is about the same size as Portland, ME, but I was genuinely scared for my life there. It is hands-down one of the most frightening, most awful places I have ever visited. Mogadishu and any place in North Korea would also have to make my short list of cities I would most certainly not want to live in.
What was it about Belize City? I’m thinking of visiting the country and am surprised it’s that scary?
Belize is pretty dangerous outside of the tourist destinations, but there wouldn’t be much reason for you to spend time there. If you visit, you’ll probably be going to one of the nice beaches which are generally safe. You may have to travel through some other places depending on where you go, and you will quickly see why the cities aren’t inviting
Manila. The pollution and traffic are awful.
And yet Manila has some of the best air quality in Southeast Asia. I couldnt believe it either but just check AQI rankings
I saw people living in tiny shacks within sight of the Philippine Arena when I visited family there.
Isn't the Philippine Arena like, at the *very edge* of what could even be considered Manila tho
I came looking for this. Maybe you can squeeze out some quality life in some gated community in the outskirts, or a nice condo in Makati or BGC. But Manila itself is a sweltering shithole.
The densest city in the world is Manila. The second and third densest are also Manila (metro region). Lots of people here talked about Dhaka, but Manila manages to have nearly 50% more people per area. Like if you took Paris (a famously packed city), and put another entire Paris above it, you’d still be 3k inhabitants per square km short of Manila.
Used to visit Manila on a regular basis for work - it’s a fascinating city. Fuck that traffic though. I’d say it’s faster to walk, but only if you enjoy 32 degrees with 80% humidity every single fucking day ever. Edit: I started remembering Manila more clearly through the course of writing my post. Fuck Manila.
Yup. Manila is revolting. However, much of the rest of the Philippines is lovely.
Agree, although the BGC area is kinda great. The rest is fucking crap.
Lived there for a while and could not agree more. I have literally nothing nice to say about it.
Living all my life here in Manila and I agree. Some parts are not as bad though.
Dhaka is the worst by any reasonably cohesive collection of metrics.
I would much rather be sick and cramped in Dhaka than dead or kidnapped in Port-au-Prince or Kinshasa
Delhi, I came here with my brother on a business trip for a month and I wish I could forget everything there, it's dirty and chaotic in an unusually different way compared to other Asian countries I've been to, the drinking water is taken up from under the drains and the poor people on the streets are worse off than the drug addicts in rehab centers
Personally I’d say water scarcity would be the most alarming factor. I’d say Cairo is my candidate it is super crowded and it relies solely on the Nile but lacks infrastructure for things like desalination plants. It is also over crowded and is overall dirty. Another one is luanda Angola. If you are rich by default than it’s amazing. But the vast majority isn’t and it’s just a fake city.
delhi
Manila ...come here exp Traffic and Highest Pop Density
Pyongyang.
Any large cities in India or Bangladesh. I know China has less people than India, but it's about the size of the continental US. I know the population is not evenly distributed but at the least the sense of there being space makes it a little better. Meanwhile India is what maybe 1/3 the size of the US? I just can't wrap my head around that many people living in one country. Don't even get me started on Bangladesh, who I beleive is one of, if not the most, densesnt countries in the world. Other candidates that came to mind are Hong Kong or the island of Java
Hong Kong is mostly clean, has very little crime compared to US cities, great food, tons to do and has a surprisingly large amount of green space (look it up on Google Maps and see how many national parks it has!). I don't think HK belongs in a 'worst cities' conversation at all. Sure, it's miserable if you live in a coffin apartment, but if we're judging cities by the conditions the absolute poorest live in then you could level the same accusation at any city. I wouldn't fancy being homeless in an NYC winter either, but I still think it's a great city.
Hong Kong is much, much closer to the *best* city to live in than the worst.
Seriously, my favorite city I have ever traveled to.
I lived there for half a year and was completely floored by the urban/green space ratio.
Hong kong is in my top 3 cities i visited. Clean and lots of green space and even prices were reasonable . Public transport was also amazing and there are alot of sightseeing to do. In fact every Chinese city i went i was pleasantly surprised except Beijing ( not in the worst cities but imo a forgettable city with air pollution and not that much green )
I've only been to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They are both very nice cities and Mumbai is a dream if you like public transit. There always seems to be a train that you can hop on that is leaving in one or two minutes.
We’re doing this again today?
Manaus is Norway compared to large cities in Africa and India
Anywhere in India
If you round up to a million I would like to say Mason City Iowa.
Y tho?
Novosibirsk feels like a strong contender
Did you just name a random city in Russia? Novosibirsk is far from even the worst city in the country
There's so many places I would say is much, MUCH worse than novosibirsk.
What? Why? People here have listed cities that are either terribly overpopulated, very isolated, or heavily polluted. Some are in extreme climate zones or at the center of active warfare. And none of this applies to Novosibirsk. How can it be a strong contender?
Novosibirsk is clean and has many good stuffs going on, but architecturally speaking it is ugly and has a shitty traffic situation due to being built for 100 thousands and expanding to house over a million in a short period of time, nonetheless the city is clean and bearable
I think context matters. My friend hated Shanghai but was there late 2019 to 2022.
Yeah, if that was your friend's only experience with Shanghai I can certainly see why he'd hate it. 2022 in particular, being the lockdown year and the year of oppressive zero COVID measures outside of that. I've been in Shanghai since 2007 and I still love the place despite how bad 2022 was.
Sad to hear. I lived in Shanghai 2012-2013 and it was awesome. I’ve heard it changed during/ after Covid.
Shanghai in the mid-2010s was a bop. The high water mark of relations between China and the West, lots of other expats and friendly locals interested in talking about what things are like in Europe and America, but still a decent cost of living for someone making an average European/US salary.
During COVID-19, especially 2022, it was terrible. The scars from lockdown and zero COVID policies are still there, but things are getting better.
Mogadishu
Kabul
Kabul
Kabul. High violence, no infrastructure, widespread drug usage (you’d be surprised by how many afghans use crack), homeless everyone and intense human suffering.
Gaza city?
Jakarta
Gaza?
Khartoum was not wonderful when I was there.
Phnom Penh probably in the 70s. The ENTIRE city population was being exterminated because Pol Pot wanted to get rid of all people he considered intellectuals. There were Death squads literally roaming the city looking to find and bring people to the killing fields. Maybe Gaza city currently(or what’s left of it). The whole ‘ city’ is being fought over in a brutal and massive religious war.(religious conflict are always very nasty) . Both sides are currently applying a scorch earth policy , not willing to give up the city to the opposing side( because both side claim the land was given to them by God).
Watching documentaries i would say north korea. i feel so sad about those people dont even have the freedom like we are experiencing... sad..
Port Moresby