THE latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey has revealed a stark polarisation among Asian countries.

In its survey of the liveability of 140 cities worldwide, three Asian countries - Australia, New Zealand and Japan - accounted for eight out of the top 20 cities.

In contrast, nine Asian countries filled 10 spots in the bottom 20 cities, with Dhaka, Bangladesh faring the worst in 138th place.

Singapore fared the best among its South-east Asian peers, coming in at number 54, above New York in 56th place.

In the survey that had examined five categories - stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education as well as infrastructure - Singapore had scored an overall score of 88.5, 100 being the ideal rating.

Its neighbouring cities, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, were in 79th and 123rd positions, respectively.

Asia and Australasia as a group scored below the global average for all the categories being examined, except stability.

After New Zealand, Australia and Japan, Hong Kong had the highest-ranked Asian city, in 39th place with a rating of 90.9.

The worst-ranking South-east Asian city was Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 128th place.

'The performance of Asian cities reflects the diverse levels of development throughout the region,' said Jon Copestake, the editor of the report.

'Australian cities represent many of the best aspects of liveability while instability in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh means that cities in South Asia fare much worse.' he added.

Topping the list was Vancouver, Canada with a rating of 98, its only two shortcomings being petty crime and the availability of good-quality housing.

According to the report, a score of 80 or more indicates that the city will have 'few, if any, challenges to living standards'.

A city scoring 50 or less will present 'daily challenges to living standards'.