Lebanon’s catastrophic decline has considerably impacted the quality of life in the Mediterranean nation.
The capital, Beirut, ranked 240 from among 242 cities in a quality of life index published by a recent international report.
Beirut has become one of the “worst” cities in the world due to the consequences of the deterioration of comparative data on purchasing power, cost of living, and the average house price as a percentage of income, in connection with the continuous collapse of the national currency.
According to 2021 and 2022 indicators and 2023 prospects, all of which are documented by the “Numbeo” global website for statistics, Beirut’s results do not qualify for a positive classification.
Numbeo measures the quality of life based on the results of eight main indicators, half of which require a high result.
Indicators requiring a high result include purchasing power, security, health care, and climate.
Other indicators with a lower benchmark for results include cost of living, housing costs in relation to income, traffic, commuting time, and pollution.
Annual rise in the inflation index came because of tangible increases witnessed across the board. Food prices, for example, increased by 171 %.
Transportation prices rose by 182 %. Housing costs, which includes water, gas, and electricity, hiked 235%. An unprecedented rise of 172 % was recorded for the cost of health in Beirut.
Moreover, the cost of education jumped 191 %, while communication costs rose by 226 %.
In parallel, the Lebanese capital maintained its leading position among the Arab cities included in a survey on the high cost of living index, ranking 46th in the world.
Statistics show an average annual increase in the price inflation index reaching about 190%, compared to the results documented at the end of last November. This brings the cumulative rate of high prices to about 2000%.
