June 09, 2009 05:41am

Perth is one of the world's top five places to live, according to a British survey ranking the liveability of 140 major cities.

Australian cities occupy five of the top 20 places in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2009 Liveability survey, with Melbourne ranked third in the world, behind Vancouver in Canada and the Austrian city of Vienna. 

The survey assessed 140 cities based on stability, health care, education, infrastructure and culture and environment, giving each one a rating out of 100. 

Perth was equal fifth with Calgary in Canada, with Sydney sharing ninth place with Zurich in Switzerland, Adelaide in 11th place and Brisbane 16th on the list. World's Most Liveable Cities

The Economist Intelligence Unit's livability is also using data from the Mercer consulting group and shows cities in Canada, Australia, Austria, Finland and Switzerland as the ideal destinations thanks to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk and an effective infrastructure.

The report placed Vancouver, Canada as the most liveable city in the world, with Vienna taking second place followed by Melbourne, Australia. The survey said "In the current global political climate, it is no surprise that the most desirable destinations are those with a lower perceived threat of terrorism." [1]

Two other Australian capital cities (Perth at equal 5th and Sydney at equal 8th) claimed positions in the top ten. Other Canadian cities also ranked highly in the survey. In addition to Vancouver, the Canadian cities Toronto and Calgary were all placed within the top 10, with Ottawa and Montreal ranked within the top 25. Vienna, Austria, Finnish capital Helsinki and Geneva and Zürich in Switzerland also ranked within the top ten.

Harare, Zimbabwe was rated the worst city in the world to call home. African and South Asian cities were generally the worst performing in the EIU's rankings.

As well as Vancouver and Calgary, Canadian cities also featured strongly in the top 20, with Toronto (4th) and Montreal (17th). 

The New Zealand cities of Auckland and Wellington finished 12th and 23rd respectively. 

US centres were well down the list. Pittsburgh ranked highest, in 29th place.

The highest-ranked Asian city was Osaka in Japan (13th). The next highest was Hong Kong (equal 39th with Madrid, Spain) followed by Singapore (54th) and Seoul, South Korea (58th).

The worst city to live on earth is Harare, the strife-torn capital of Zimbabwe. 

"The performance of Asian cities reflects the diverse levels of development throughout the region,'' EIU spokesman Jon Copestake said. 

"Australian cities represent many of the best aspects of liveability, while instability in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh means that cities in South Asia fare much worse.'' 

The Economist Intelligence Unit is a branch of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist, a weekly news magazine, in London.