Click on a city to see its ranking or filter below to see cities ranked by different categories.
Rank out of 1,000
The Oxford Economics Global Cities Index scores cities across five different categories to achieve a well-rounded comparison of locations.
The Oxford Economics Global Cities Index scores cities across five different categories to achieve a well-rounded comparison of locations. Click on a category below to learn more about it.
A city’s economy plays a crucial role in its prosperity and attractiveness. Economic vitality is a fundamental aspect of urban development, driving a city’s wealth generation, employment opportunities, access to goods and services and much more. Our Economics category allows for an assessment of a city’s potential for sustained growth and development.
In the Economics category we assess the economic size, structure, and growth of each city, examining both historical performance and future potential. The indicators we use are:
Human capital encompasses the collective knowledge and skills of a city’s population, underpinning the economic potential of every city. It reflects the dynamics of educational attainment, innovation, and demographics at play across metropolitan areas. In today’s knowledge-based economy, cities with diverse, highly-skilled workforces and innovative businesses are better positioned to adapt to technological change and compete globally.
In the Human Capital category we assess the educational and business climates of each city, in conjunction with demographic trends. The indicators we use are:
Quality of life encapsulates the wellbeing and satisfaction of a city’s residents, reflecting the intersection of various socioeconomic factors. This category provides insights into the liveability and attractiveness of a city, which can play a role in migration patterns, talent retention and the overall happiness of residents.
In the Quality of Life category we assess the benefits of living in each city and residents’ wellbeing, covering financial and health outcomes, as well as access to amenities. The indicators we use are:
With climate change at the forefront of international, national, and urban policymaking, the relevance of this category is undeniable. The Environment category evaluates a city’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its predisposition to climate change risks; environmental sustainability is critical for ensuring long-term resilience.
In the Environment category we assess the natural environment of each city on climate change-related issues. The indicators we use are:
Governance is the basic foundation for city prosperity across the other four categories. Good governance fosters trust, social cohesion, and equitable access to opportunities, while poor governance can lead to inefficiencies, corruption, and social unrest. In recognition of the fact that national governments—not just those at the city level—have a significant influence on these outcomes, this category is measured at the national level, rather than at the city level. As a result, every city in a given country receives the same score.
In the Governance category we assess measure the political stability of a city and the degree to which residents’ rights are protected. The indicators we use are:
Each city is unique in its structure, outlook, and history. But in many cases, cities evolve along similar development pathways, sharing characteristics, challenges, and opportunities with other cities around the world.
To help classify these cities and their shared traits, we have created a typology of city archetypes to allow decisionmakers to compare and monitor the performance of similar cities. The archetypes have been defined using a range of metrics from all five categories of the Global Cities Index, with each archetype focusing on a different set of common traits.
Classifying the world’s major cities in this way reveals some key trends for each group, pinpointing similarities, and—equally important—differences between types of cities.
The true “global cities” that drive the world economy. They are the largest cities in the world by GDP, and are financial and business hubs with many corporate headquarters and universities.
Key examples:
Important and large cities in their regions, but not as economically powerful on the global stage as the Global Leaders. They outperform their respective countries on metrics such as economic growth and income per person, and tend to have more universities and business activity than neighbouring cities.
Key examples:
Mostly smaller cities that have high quality of life. They have many cultural sites and a sizeable share of foreign-born residents. They tend to attract residents and tourists alike due to their amenities and educational opportunities.
Key examples:
Cities that have prioritized sustainable growth and are focused on adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. They have low emissions intensities and are focused on the clean energy transition, with the political stability to support their climate goals.
Key examples:
Cities dependent on extraction or manufacturing to drive growth. They tend to have low economic diversity and experience volatile growth due to the nature of their key industries. These cities often have high emissions intensities.
Key examples:
Cities facing a demographic challenge from ageing (and falling) populations. As a result, GDP growth is slowing or stagnant and they often struggle to attract immigrants, leading to a low share of foreign-born residents.
Key examples:
Very large urban areas (over 10 million residents) in the developing world. Their infrastructure investments have often struggled to keep up with the increasing population and they have low levels of income per person.
Key examples:
Cities in the developing world that are outperforming their respective countries. They attract residents due to their fast productivity growth and higher levels of income per person than their country as a whole.
Key examples:
