Vienna is the most "liveable" city in the world, according to a new survey.

It is the first time a European city has topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Liveability Index.

The Austrian capital dislodged Melbourne, which had been at the top of the list for the last seven years.

This year, a downgraded threat of militant attacks in western Europe, as well as the city's low crime rate, helped nudge Vienna into first place.

Osaka, Calgary and Sydney completed the top five in the survey.

Dublin is at number 41, ahead of London at 48, Rome at 55 and New York at 57.

At the other end of the table, Damascus retained last place, followed by the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, and Lagos in Nigeria.

The survey does not include several of the world's most dangerous capitals, such as Baghdad and Kabul.

"Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries," researchers said in their report.

They noted that several cities in the top ten had relatively low population densities, which fostered "a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure".

The study looked at 140 cities and scored them on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.