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)

A physically challenged girl looks at her brother as she is kept in a basin to seek alms from people on the street in Kano, Nigeria December 30, 2015. The girl has suffered from her condition since birth. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

The sun rises between Sgurr nan Gillean and Knight’s Peak, Black Cuillin, Isle of Skye. (Photo by Adrian Trendall/Mountain Photo of the Year)

An opposition activist clashes with the police during a march against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held on May Day, in Caracas on May 1, 2017. Security forces in riot vans blocked off central Caracas Monday as Venezuela braced for pro- and anti- government May Day protests one month after a wave of deadly political unrest erupted. (Photo by Federico Parra/AFP Photo)

An American Marine readies to land on Guadalcanal during the five-month struggle for the island between late 1942 and early 1943. Three thousand miles south of Tokyo, Guadalcanal was a major shipping point for military supplies. The Allied victory there in February, 1943, marked a major turning point in the war after a string of Japanese victories in the Pacific. (Photo by Joe Scherschel/Time & Life Pictures)

Models perform during a Muslim fashion show an airport train in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday, May 2, 2019. The fashion show was held to great to upcoming fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Muslim calendar. (Photo by Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo)

A young girl tries to catch snow on her tongue near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, before the start of a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the legacy of the late civil rights leader in Washington, DC on January 15, 2024. The ceremony is being held to honor the civil rights leader on the anniversary of his birthday. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP Photo)

Farmers harvest lotus loots in a pond on July 21, 2025 in Nantong, Jiangsu Province of China. Lotus root harvest season is in full swing in Nantong as farmers work to harvest and transport fresh lotus roots to meet market demand. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/VCG via Getty Images)