Key findings

Our 2026 Global Cities Index is testament to the strength, stability, and opportunities across the world’s top cities. New York and London remain at the pinnacle of our Index, largely due to the size of their economies and the strength of their labour market. In fact, the upper reaches of our index is dominated by cities in Europe and North America, taking 78 of the first 100 spots in our rankings. And these cities are likely to continue to lead given their unrivalled ability to attract highly skilled workers and innovative businesses.

Yet the rest of the world is not standing still. Major cities across Asia are currently dominating global growth trends, and we anticipate that this will continue. Chinese and Indian cities will be at the forefront of this, combining large population sizes with significant gains in productivity and income. Shanghai, Beijing, and Delhi are all currently ranked outside the top 100 in our index, but they will see some of the largest increases in GDP through to 2050.

The Middle East’s major cities are also climbing. Both Dubai and Riyadh have now broken into our top 50 for first time and are increasingly cementing themselves as key players in the global economy by attracting the world’s brightest workers and most innovative companies. While the conflict in Iran is proving a serious headwind, the structural advantages of cities in the region, backed by substantial wealth funds, means we think they will continue to climb our rankings going forward.

New for this year is our Cities to Watch section highlighting the top places in each region we think are generating significant steam and likely to climb our rankings in the coming years. These places are emblematic of the range of opportunities across the globe and make clear that national analysis can only take you so far – so much going on below the surface, with cities and regions regularly outperforming their national economy, and offering substantial growth opportunities for investors. These cities are emblematic of that diversity.