Vienna Takes Home Title Of World's Most Liveable City

Austria’s capital city of Vienna has eclipsed the Australian city of Melbourne in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of the world’s most liveable cities, BBC News reports.

Melbourne had held the top spot for seven years. But the city dropped to second place as Vienna benefited from increased security scores after relative stability returned to Europe following high-profile terrorist attacks in recent years.

This is the first time a European city has topped the ranking, which was introduced in 2004.

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks 140 urban centers on such factors as political and social stability, crime, education and access to health care. Nearly half the cities in the survey saw their ratings improve over the last year.

Melbourne’s lord mayor, Sally Capp, sent “warm congratulations” to Vienna, according to Sky News Australia .

“The great thing for Melbourne is that we’re always looking at ways to improve,” Capp said of her city’s No. 2 spot. “I love the fact that we’re a competitive bunch.”

Rounding out the top 10 were Osaka, Japan; Calgary, Canada; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; Toronto, Canada; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Adelaide, Australia.

The 10 cities lowest in the ranking were Damascus, Syria; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Harare, Zimbabwe; Tripoli, Libya; Douala, Cameroon; Algiers, Algeria; and Dakar, Senegal.