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London has once again failed to make it onto a top ten list of the world's most liveable cities, with the top slot going to Melbourne.

The capital missed out on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2017 prestigious top ten ranking, which rates 140 cities according to factors affecting their stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure.

For the seventh consecutive year Melbourne got the top spot with a score of 97.5 out of 100, and Vienna came in a close second with 97.4.

Three Canadian cities made it into the top five: Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, with 97.3, 97.2 and 96.6 points respectively.

The top ten, which remained unchanged from last year, also included Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Helsinki and Hamburg.

Top ten Liveable cities Melbourne - 97.5 out of 100 Vienna - 97.4 Vancouver - 97.3 Toronto - 97.2 Calgary - 96.6 Adelaide 96.6 Perth - 95.9 Auckland - 95.7 Helsinki - 95.6 Hamburg - 95.0

London came in at 53 in the rankings, unmoved from 2016.

The report explained: "Global business centres tend to be victims of their own success.

"The 'big city buzz' that they enjoy can overstretch infrastructure and cause higher crime rates.

Melbourne, Australia - In pictures 11 show all Melbourne, Australia - In pictures 1/11 Top city: a tourist visits Melbourne Shutterstock 2/11 A boat sails past the Melbourne skyline AFP/Getty Images 3/11 Degraves Street, a popular cafe and retail area in Melbourne Shutterstock 4/11 Federation Square in central Melbourne Shutterstock 5/11 AMMI Park stadium seen at sunrise in the city Getty Images 6/11 Cricketers celebrate in Princes Park, Melbourne Getty Images 7/11 Famous historic green trams run down Melbourne's trendy Brunswick Street Getty Images 8/11 A tram passes Flinders Street Station Getty Images 9/11 Melbourne's dramatic skyline, as the city is named most 'liveable' in the world Getty Images 10/11 Melbourne's Luna Park, a historic amusement park Rex 11/11 Central Business District Rex 1/11 Top city: a tourist visits Melbourne Shutterstock 2/11 A boat sails past the Melbourne skyline AFP/Getty Images 3/11 Degraves Street, a popular cafe and retail area in Melbourne Shutterstock 4/11 Federation Square in central Melbourne Shutterstock 5/11 AMMI Park stadium seen at sunrise in the city Getty Images 6/11 Cricketers celebrate in Princes Park, Melbourne Getty Images 7/11 Famous historic green trams run down Melbourne's trendy Brunswick Street Getty Images 8/11 A tram passes Flinders Street Station Getty Images 9/11 Melbourne's dramatic skyline, as the city is named most 'liveable' in the world Getty Images 10/11 Melbourne's Luna Park, a historic amusement park Rex 11/11 Central Business District Rex

"New York, London, Paris and Tokyo are all prestigious hubs with a wealth of recreational activities, but all suffer from higher levels of crime, congestion and public transport problems than are deemed comfortable," it said.

Mid-sized cities in wealthy countries tend to do well in the rankings, since lower population density means infrastructure that is under less strain, often making for better quality of life.

Bottom ten Least liveable 1. Damascus, Syria - 30.2

2. Lagos, Nigeria - 36.0

3. Tripoli, Libya - 36.6

4. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 38.7

5. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - 39.6

6. Algiers, Algeria, and Karachi, Pakistan - 40.9

8. Harare, Zimbabwe - 42.6

9. Douala, Cameroon - 44.0

10. Kiev, Ukraine - 47.8

Melbourne has a population density of 453 people per square kilometre, compared with London's more than 5,200.

The report said: "The question is how much wages, the cost of living and personal taste for a location can offset liveability factors.

"Although global centres fare less well in the ranking than mid-sized cities, for example, they still sit within the highest tier of liveability and should therefore be considered broadly comparable, especially when contrasted with the worst-scoring locations."