Four Australian cities have been included in a list of the most liveable cities in the world, but Brisbane is nowhere to be seen.

For the sixth year in a row, Melbourne has topped The Economist‘s list of the world’s most liveable cities.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) index rates 140 cities on healthcare, education, stability, culture, environment and infrastructure.

Melbourne scored an impressive 97.5 out of 100, just edging out Austria’s Vienna (97.4).

Adelaide (96.6) and Perth (95.9) also cracked the top 10, while Sydney, which finished seventh last year, just missed out on a top 10 placing, coming in at number 11. The EIU’s report blames Sydney’s slight drop on a “heightened perceived threat of terrorism”.

“This has been a year undoubtedly marked by terrorism,” the report said.

“While not a new phenomenon, its frequency and spread have increased noticeably and become even more prominent in the past year.”

The EIU’s ratings are somewhat questionable — Melbourne’s liveability score hasn’t changed since 2011, and it relies on some old data, including a crime rate statistic from 2013/14 (despite a 10 percent rise in crime in the city since then).

Brisbane didn’t rate a mention in the report, but at least that’s preferable to being named one of the world’s least liveable cities. The Syrian city of Damascus, currently in the middle of a civil war, ‘topped’ that list.

The world’s most liveable cities, according to The Economist

  1. Melbourne, Australia (97.5)
  2. Vienna, Austria (97.4)
  3. Vancouver, Canada (97.3)
  4. Toronto, Canada (97.2)
  5. Calgary, Canada (96.6)
  6. Adelaide, Australia (96.6)
  7. Perth, Australia (95.9)
  8. Auckland, New Zealand (95.7)
  9. Helsinki, Finland (95.6)
  10. Hamburg, Germany (95.0)
  11. Sydney (94.9)

The world’s least liveable cities, according to The Economist

  1. Damascus, Syria (30.2)
  2. Tripoli, Libya (35.9)
  3. Lagos, Nigeria (36.0)
  4. Dhaka, Bangladesh (38.7)
  5. Port Moresby, PNG (38.9)
  6. Algiers, Algeria (40.9)
  7. Karachi, Pakistan (40.9)
  8. Harare, Zimbabwe (42.6)
  9. Douala, Cameroon (44.0)
  10. Kiev, Ukraine (44.1)

Do you think Brisbane should have made the list? Which city would you take off the list to make room? Have your say in the comments below!