Vienna has been named as the world's most liveable city. It is the third year running the Austrian capital has won this accolade. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its annual Global Liveability Index earlier this week. The Index ranked 173 cities worldwide on a number of factors that affect quality of life. These include culture and environment, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and stability. Vienna was awarded "perfect" scores in all but one of the five categories. It failed to scoop maximum points for culture, "owing to a lack of major sporting events". Vienna's two million residents are blessed with stunning architecture and a rich musical legacy.

The EIU said the average score for liveability in cities around the globe rose "fractionally over the past year". It cautioned that "risks to stability remain". It said: "Tensions around the world could see a deterioration in the Index in coming years. Since we conducted our survey, there have been more instances of civil unrest and demonstrations around the world, suggesting continuing stress on liveability, that is unlikely to ease in the near future." The CNBC website said: "The stability category recorded the biggest decline out of all five categories this year, held back by geopolitical conflict, civil unrest, as well as the ongoing housing crisis and crime seen across many cities."