Syrians walk along a destroyed street in the rebel-held town of Douma east of the capital Damascus. Abd Doumany/AFP/Getty Images)

Damascus in Syria is ranked the lowest in the world’s most liveable cities index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The survey rates 140 cities on more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure.

At the top of the list is Melbourne, rated the best for the sixth year in a row.

The bottom of the list is dominated by the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Violence, whether through crime, civil insurgency, terrorism or war, plays a strong role.

“Conflict is responsible for many of the lowest scores,” says the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“Conflict will not just cause disruption in its own right, it will also damage infrastructure, overburden hospitals and undermine the availability of goods, services and recreational activities.

Here are the 10 least liveable cities:

Source: EIU

There are probably more dangerous cities such as Kabul in Afghanistan or Baghdad in Iraq. These aren’t included because the EIU survey is designed to address a range of cities where people might want to live in or visit.

“Although few could currently argue that Damascus and Tripoli are likely to attract visitors, their inclusion in the survey reflects cities that were deemed relatively stable just a few years ago,” says the EIU.

Business Insider Emails & Alerts Site highlights each day to your inbox. Email Address Join

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.