A period of relative stability has put the Iranian capital No1 on the list of world cities that have achieved biggest improvements in liveability over the past five years, as calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The “most improved” top 10 contains some unexpected names. So, eg, the fourth place: Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Latest ranking: 128; Ranking five years ago: 131; Five-year index movement: 3.8%. Here: A supporter of Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara campaigns in a market in the city’s Koumassi quarter. (Photo by Sia Kambou/AFP Photo)

Spain celebrates winning the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Final match between Spain and England on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Former Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, right, watches as his wife Jill Biden, center, blocks a protester from arriving on stage during an primary night rally in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The biggest day of the presidential primary calendar will define the nomination fight for Bernie Sanders and Biden and determine whether Michael Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren have a rationale for carrying on their campaigns. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A Black and Tan Coonhound named Harbor has the longest ears of any living dog, with measurements of 12.25 (31,12 cm) inches for the left ear and 13.5 (34,29 cm) inches for the right. (Photo by Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records via AP)

Middlesbrough star Paul Gasgoigne is confronted by streakers at The Riverside on December 6, 1998 during their match against Newcastle. (Photo by Owen Humphreys – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

Peruvian surfer Domingo Pianezzi rides a wave with his alpaca Pisco at San Bartolo beach in Lima March 16, 2010. Pianezzi has spent a decade training dogs to ride the nose of his board when he catches waves, and now he is the first to do so with an alpaca. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

Lava erupts from Halema'uma'u crater within the summit caldera Kaluapele, at the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, U.S. March 26, 2025. (Photo by Marco Garcia/Reuters)

A Poison Ivy and Boba Fet (Star Wars) cosplayer during the MCM Birmingham Comic Con at NEC Arena on March 18, 2017 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Ollie Millington/Getty Images)