A perceived terrorism threat has booted Sydney from the top 10 list of the world's most liveable cities, which again is led by Melbourne.
The Victorian capital topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's most liveable city index for the sixth year running on Thursday, again just pipping Austria's Vienna and Canadian duo Vancouver and Toronto.
Adelaide again landed fifth, tied with Calgary.
Sydney was surprisingly dumped from seventh to 11th with the index report owing the drop "to a heightened perceived threat of terrorism".
"Although the top five cities remain unchanged, the past year has seen increasing instability across the world, causing volatility in the scores of many cities," the report said.
The report owed the high rankings of Australian and Canadian cities to their wealth and medium density which can "foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure."
Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle said retaining the title was a fantastic accolade.
"We do not take this title for granted and are constantly planning and implementing policies that will continue to improve our quality of life," he said.
The most liveable cities in the world:
1. Melbourne - 97.5 out of 100
2. Vienna - 97.4
3. Vancouver - 97.3
4. Toronto - 97.2
5. Adelaide and Calgary - 96.6
7. Perth - 95.9
8. Auckland - 95.7
9. Helsinki - 95.6
10. Hamburg - 95.0
The cellar dweller
* Damascus in Syria scored just 30.2 out of 100 and it wasn't much better for the capital cities of Libya, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.
More about the survey
* 140 cities around the world rated on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
* Melbourne topped the index with perfect scores for healthcare, education and infrastructure.
* Adelaide was equal fifth, Perth up one place to seventh, Sydney booted from seventh into 11th.
* The ranking of Brisbane, which was 18 last year, is yet to be published.
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit's Liveability Ranking 2016
