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)

Women in Kimono holding an umbrella walk on a street at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

A picture made available on 08 February 2017 shows staff playing with cats inside the Super Very Very Important Cat (VVIC) room at the CATZONIA cat hotel in Damansara, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 07 February 2017. (Photo by Fazry Ismail/EPA)

Winner. “I took this picture of a woman in traditional clothing in Cartagena, Colombia”. PAUL GOLDSTEIN, JUDGE: “The blaze of colour from every angle, the boldness of the picture, taken from behind, which gives it so much more allure and frankly a superb get up. Did I mention the colours? Oh, and that looks suspiciously like a Nokia”. (Photo by Stanislav Shmelev/The Guardian)

Two girls wearing traditional Sevillian dresses talk during the “Feria de Abril” (April Fair) in Sevilla on April 30, 2017. The fair dates back to 1847 when it was originally organized as a livestock fair but has turned into a week of flamenco dancing, music and bullfighting. (Photo by Cristina Quicler/AFP Photo)

Performer from the Mangueira samba school parades during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, February 9, 2016. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live. The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland. The bottom 10 were Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi. The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50. Here: #8. NEW ZEALAND: A woman dives from a platform into a giant air bed at a park in Palmerston North September 29, 2011. (Photo by Marcos Brindicci/Reuters)

A dressed reveler looks up to the famous cathedral in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, November 11, 2015. Thousands of carnival supporters celebrate the traditional beginning of the carnival season in Germany. (Photo by Martin Meissner/AP Photo)