Melbourne is the world's most-liveable city.  So says the annual ranking of the planet's urban centers by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which placed Melbourne at the top of the list for the sixth year running.

The Economist’s global liveability survey remains unchanged at the top:  Melbourne is followed by Vienna, Austria; Vancouver, and Toronto, both in Canada. Adelaide and Calgary in Canada are tied for fifth place.  The big change is that Sydney, which placed seventh in last year's survey, has dropped out of the top ten over terrorism concerns.

"To retain the title of world's most liveable city for six consecutive years is a fantastic accolade for Melbourne, and something we should all be proud of," said Melbourne's lord mayor Robert Doyle.  "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 added, while noting that he planned to call his counterpart in Vancouver for a little gloating.

The Economist determined each city's score by ranking them across five categories:  Stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the list was "just more proof that there's no city on earth quite like Melbourne".

At the bottom of the list are Lagos, Nigeria; Tripoli, Libya; and the world's least liveable city Damascus, Syria.