Elsewhere in the world civil unrest, acts of terror and civil wars have prompted widespread falls in livability scores.
About 20 per cent of cities surveyed experienced declines in livability outcomes in the last 12 months.
And after last year’s Sydney siege put Australia on a high terror alert, Jon Copestake editor of the survey, said future scores for Australia could be affected.
“Melbourne remains top for the fifth year running, but elsewhere in the ranking the situation is more depressing,’’ Mr Copestake said.
“As well as conflicts in Ukraine, Libya and Syria, the last 12 months have seen protests in the US, sanctions in Russia and shootings in France and Tunisia. The hostage siege in Sydney late last year has put Australia on a high terror alert which could affect future scores.”
The rankings, which provides scores for lifestyle challenges in 140 cities worldwide, showed since 2010 average livability across the world has fallen by 1 per cent, led by a 2.2 per cent fall in the score for stability and safety.
The results also showed 57 of the cities surveyed have seen declines in livability over the last five years.