The Economist Group’s Intelligence Unit’s 2016 rankings of the world’s most livable cities had no change among the top five cities and it ranked Vancouver as the globe’s third most desirable place to live for the sixth year in a row.
For many years before Vancouver dropped to third, in 2011, the city had ranked No. 1.
The annual study ranks 140 cities and considers factors such as the city’s political stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.
It also assesses the amount of crime, civil unrest, access to athletic opportunties, school options, housing quality and telecommunications.
Melbourne topped the study for the sixth year in a row while Vienna ranked a perennial second.
Toronto and Calgary ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in identical spots to where they ranked last year. Adelaide, Australia, was tied with Calgary for fifth spot for a second year in a row.
There was some slight change in the Top 10 ranking of cities, compared with last year.
Perth, Australia, overcame Sydney, Australia, to rank No. 7. Sydney this year ranked outside the Top 10.
Auckland and Helsinki were the same at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.
And Hamburg, Germany climbed into the Top 10, replacing Zurich, Switzerland.
The study found that the five least livable cities were:
•Kyiv, Ukraine;
•Douala, Cameroon;
•Harare, Zimbabwe;
•Karachi, Pakistan; and,
•Algiers, Algeria.
