MELBOURNE TOPS LIVEABLE SURVEY FOR SIXTH TIME RUNNING
THE AUSTRALIANS
* Melbourne topped the index with perfect scores for healthcare, education and infrastructure
* Adelaide was equal fifth
* Perth up one place from last year to seventh
* Sydney booted from seventh into 11th
* Brisbane ranked 16, up two places.
THE TOP 10
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 DWELLERS
* 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.
THEY SAID
"I can't wait to make my annual phone call to Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver." - Melbourne mayor Robert Doyle
"Although 17.2 percentage points separate Melbourne in first place from Warsaw in 65th place, all cities in this tier can lay claim to being on an equal footing in terms of presenting few, if any, challenges to residents' lifestyles." - Everyone above 80 points is a winner, says the Economist Intelligence Unit's report.
WHY BOTHER WITH THIS SURVEY?
* 140 cities around the world rated on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
* The Economist Intelligence Unit says the index is helpful for global businesses to determine how much extra they pay employees moving between cities.
* For example, it suggests bumping allowances by 20 per cent if employees have to move from Melbourne to PNG's Port Moresby.
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit's Liveability Ranking 2016
