The Australian city of Melbourne has been officially named as the world’s most liveable city, knocking Vancouver off the top spot for the first time in nearly ten years.

Three other Australian cities made it into the top 10; with Sydney being ranked as sixth and Perth and Adelaide coming in joint eighth.

World crises have meant that other cities around the globe have become less attractive and liveable, enabling Melbourne to climb up and claim first spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest survey.

Previous title holder Vancouver slipped two places to third, behind second place Venice. Economist Intelligence Unit survey editor, Jon Copestake said; “In a tumultuous year for the planet, several places lost liveability points, leaving it wide open for the relatively unscathed Australian cities… Australia, with a low population density and relatively low crime rates, continues to supply some of the world’s most liveable cities…Despite the rising cost of living driven by the strong Australian dollar, these cities offer a range of factors to make them highly attractive.”

The survey looks at the best and worst living conditions in 140 locations; Melbourne scored 97.5 per cent, just beating Vienna on 97.4 per cent and Vancouver on 97.3. also taken into consideration are things like political and social stability, crime rates, access to quality health care, cultural events, the environment, education and the standard of infrastructure.

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