Which is the poorest city in the world?
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Addis Ababa and Dakar, which come in at No
10 and 9, have some positive developments to
note, says the UN. They are both investing in
infrastructure and manufacturing, and striving
to overcome what is their key problem: the
instability of Ethiopia and Senegals
immediate neighbours.
Harare, at No 8, however, is a city in steep
decline. Once a key economic motor in
Zimbabwe with a cityscape and infrastructure
to match, the city is crumbling, and more
people than ever live in makeshift slums. Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania, can only dream of
Harares slum levels: a full 70% of the citys
population lives in informal settlements. Like
other cities on the list, though, Dar is a victim
of its own success: the population had
doubled in the last two decades to 4 million.
In Zambia, a mineral-rich country that is
Africas largest producer of copper, life
expectancy is just 56, and the capital, Lusaka
the fifth poorest in the world struggles to
cope with high levels of HIV and Aids.