Beijing ranks number 72 in a table of the world's most livable cities in an annual survey by the Economist

Intelligence Unit. Hong Kong was placed at No 31 in the list, the sina.com reported Tuesday.

Vancouver, scores 98 , remaining at the No.1 spot for the fifth straight year, followed by Melbourne from Australia and Vienna of Austria in third position.

"Vancouver scores well across all categories in the survey and the forthcoming Winter Games contribute to a strong score in the cultural and sporting events category,"Jon Copestake, editor of the report, said.

The survey focuses on the living conditions of 140 cities in the world with over 30 perspective-checks on social stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.

Japan's Osaka, No.12, tops Asia's most livable cities, followed by Tokyo of No.18.