The 10 most liveable cities in the world revealed

Vienna knocked Melbourne off the top spot after a seven-year reign

Vienna is the most liveable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2018 rankings.

The Austrian capital topped the list for the first time, replacing Melbourne, Australia, which has been number one for the last seven years running.

The annual report ranks 140 cities around the world based on their stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Vienna achieved an average score of 99.1 per cent across all criteria – 0.7 per cent higher than Melbourne – based on a perfect score for four of the five categories.

According to the report: “Upwards movement in the top ranked cities is a reflection of improvements seen in stability and safety across most regions in the past year.

“Whereas in the past, cities in Europe have been affected by the spreading perceived threat of terrorism in the region, which caused heightened security measures, the past six months have seen a return to normalcy.”

However, only one other European city made the top 10 – Copenhagen in Denmark crept into ninth place.

Australia and Canada did the best overall, with three cities apiece in the top 10.

The cities that have improved the most in the last five years include Abidjan, Hanoi, Tehran and Belgrade; Kiev, San Juan, Damascus and Caracas, meanwhile, have all dropped the furthest in the rankings.

The top 10 most liveable cities don’t include some of the world’s biggest metropolises – but this is for good reason, according to the report:

“Global business centres tend to be victims of their own success. The ‘big city buzz’ that they enjoy can overstretch infrastructure and cause higher crime rates.

“New York (57th), London (48th) and Paris (19th) are all prestigious hubs with a wealth of recreational activities, but all suffer from higher levels of crime, congestion and public transport problems than are deemed comfortable.”

The cities that tend to score best are those that are mid-sized and based in wealthier countries. Several cities in the top 10 also have a relatively low population density, resulting in lower crime rates and a less overburdened infrastructure.

The 10 most liveable cities

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Osaka, Japan

4. Calgary, Canada

5. Sydney, Australia

6. Vancouver, Canada

7. Toronto, Canada

8. Tokyo, Japan

9. Copenhagen, Denmark

10. Adelaide, Australia

The 10 least liveable cities

131. Dakar, Senegal

132. Algiers, Algeria

133. Douala, Cameroon

134. Tripoli, Libya

135. Harare, Zimbabwe

136. Port Moresby, PNG

137. Karachi, Pakistan

138. Lagos, Nigeria

139. Dhaka, Bangladesh

140. Damascus, Syria