Melbourne named world’s most liveable city in survey

Melbourne has edged out long-time front-runner Vancouver to be rated the world’s most liveable city, according to a worldwide survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The Australian metropolis topped the Global Liveability Survey’s ranking of 140 cities worldwide, ahead of Canada’s Vancouver which dominated the rankings for almost a decade but is now third behind the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Australian cities featured prominently in the top 10, with Sydney ranked sixth and Perth and Adelaide in joint eighth place, according to the survey, which is conducted twice a year.

Canada also did well, with Toronto and Calgary holding fourth and fifth places respectively. Helsinki in Finland (seventh) and New Zealand’s Auckland (10th) rounded out the top 10.

Cities were scored on political and social stability, crime rates, access to quality health care, cultural events, the environment, education and the standard of infrastructure.