Vienna has been named the world's 'most liveable' city.

The Austrian capital takes the crown from Melbourne in Australia, which has been top of the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual chart for seven years.

However, Melbourne has now dropped to second place - although still ranks above Osaka, Calgary and Sydney, the three cities which complete the top five.

Canada and Australia dominate the top ten, with three cities each.

Dublin came 41st out of the 140 cities surveyed, ahead of the likes of London and New York.

Cities are ranked based on factors such as living standards, crime and access to education and healthcare.

Image: Economist Intelligence Unit

Damascus in Syria, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Lagos in Nigeria are the three lowest ranked cities.

Researchers say the change in rankings 'do not necessarily arise' from changes in the cities themselves, but instead can reflect how cities compare to each other.

The report's authors explain: "Although both Melbourne and Vienna have registered improvements in liveability over the last six months, increases in Vienna’s ratings, particularly in the stability category, have been enough for the city to overtake Melbourne.

"The two cities are now separated by 0.7 of a percentage point, with Vienna scoring a near ideal 99.1 out of 100 and Melbourne scoring 98.4."