The dwarfed Vancouver skyline
The dwarfed Vancouver skyline REUTERS/Mike Blake

In an unabated stint for five consecutive years, Vancouver in Canada has been ranked first in the top-ten list of the world's most liveable cities, as released in the Global Liveability Ranking report from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The following nine slots were taken by Melbourne in Australia; Vienna in Austria; Toronto and Calgary in Canada; Helsinki in Finland; Sydney, Perth and Adelaide in Australia again; and Auckland in New Zealand.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the 2010 Winter Olympics hosted by Vancouver helped the city win the honor for the fifth year.

Vancouver sits at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Ranking, a position that can only have been cemented by the successful hosting of the 2010 winter Olympics and Paralympics, which provided a boost to the infrastructure and culture and environment categories, the research arm of The Economist news magazine said on its official site.

The EIU Liveability Ranking survey, which assesses cities on the basis of stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure and culture and environment, also stresses the cities ranked low in the survey. Reportedly, Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, has the most unliveable conditions in the world.

Harare is the lowest-scoring city at just 37.5%. Despite hopes of elections in 2011, stability and healthcare scores of just 25% and 20.8% respectively highlight a bleak situation, the EIU said.