Key Points
- The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2022 survey has Melbourne placed 10th on the list and leading the way for Australia.
- The European cities of Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich take out the top three spots.
Melbourne has retained its place as one of the world's most liveable cities as other Australian capitals drop out of the global top 10.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2022 survey, released on Thursday, has Melbourne placed 10th on the list and leading the way for Australia.
The European cities of Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich take out the top three spots.
Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth all took their place in the top 10 in 2021 but have fallen to 27th, 30th and 32nd respectively. Melbourne dropped from eighth place to number 10 in the last 12 months.
The index cited a slow lifting of COVID-19 restrictions as the reason for those state capitals losing ground.
The top 10 cities were among those with few COVID-19 restrictions, the report noted, with shops, schools and restaurants reopening, and pandemic-led hospitalisation declining.
"Cities that were towards the top of our rankings before the pandemic have rebounded on the back of their stability, good infrastructure and services, as well as enjoyable leisure activities," the report said.
Six of the top 10 cities were in Europe, with Vienna snatching the top spot from Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
The 2022 list had Damascus, Lagos and Tripoli as the world's three least liveable cities.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv was excluded from the rankings because of the Russian invasion, while the conflict resulted in Moscow and St Petersburg dropping 13 and 15 places respectively.
Melbourne held the title of the world's most liveable city for seven years from 2011 before it was unseated by the Austrian capital Vienna in 2018.
The Global Liveability Index 2022:
1. Vienna
2. Copenhagen
3. Zurich
4. Calgary
5. Vancouver
6. Geneva
7. Frankfurt
8. Toronto
9. Amsterdam
10. Osaka and Melbourne
