A woman poses for a photo in an almond plantation near Kiryat Gat, Israel February 17, 2018. (Photo by Amir Cohen/Reuters)

A slackliner, Alexander Schulz, balancing on a line suspended between two hot air balloons above Catalonia, Spain in the last decade of November 2025, at 4700 meters above ground. (Photo by One Inch Dreams/Caters News Agency)

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)

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)

South Asian countries in terms of total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP. #6. Vietnam, Total GDP: USD 202.6 billion (2016). Contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP: 9.1% . Here: A boat in the Thu Bon River, Hoi An, Vietnam. (Photo by Domingo Leiva/Getty Images)

Waldo, a 6-year-old Tibetan Terrier belonging to Susan and Mike Leverette of Sebastian, competes in the third heat of the medium dogs division at the Hang 20 Surf Dog Classic at Carlin Park in Jupiter Saturday, August 29, 2015. “The waves are a little bigger than we are used to”, said Susan. (Photo by Bruce R. Bennett/The Palm Beach Post)

A lunar eclipse appears behind a gargoyle atop the old red Dallas County Courthouse early Wednesday morning, October 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (Photo by Tom Fox/AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News)