Manila continues to lag in the global liveability index, far behind Melbourne City in Australia which remains in the top spot for the 7th straight year.

The Philippine capital which has been plagued by hellish traffic conditions, dense public spaces, and pollution scored a little above 60 out of 100 in the index and is considered "more liveable" than it was 10 years ago.

A rating of 80-100 means there are few challenges to living standards while a rating of 60-70 means negative factors have a day-to-day impact on living in the city.

Austrian capital Vienna and Vancouver in California follow closely behind Melbourne at the second and third spot respectively.

Other cities included in the top 10 list are Canadian cities Toronto, and Calgary; Australian cities Adelaide, and Perth; Auckland in New Zealand; Helsinki in Finland; and the German city of Hamburg.

War-torn Damascus in Syria on the other hand remains at the foot of the index for the 5th straight year.

The concept of liveability assesses cities around the world that provide the best or worst living conditions and quantifies challenges that might be presented to an individual’s lifestyle in a certain city.

A total of 140 cities worldwide were included in the report and were assessed across 5 broad categories namely stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure.