Brand Finance launches report on the 100 best cities in the world

19-05-23

• The ranking is led by two European cities and one in the United States.

• London, New York and Paris top the first ranking of the "World's Best Cities" by the brand evaluation consultancy Brand Finance. 

The ranking is based on international perceptions and factors such as the best place to visit, to study, to work or to invest, among others, have been assessed.

The new ranking, called the Brand Finance City Index, ranks the world's top 100 city brands according to international perceptions - excluding national perceptions and taking into account only those of foreign respondents - and is based on a global survey of 15,000 people last April in 20 countries on all continents.

In addition to measuring familiarity, the survey asked about the general reputation and personal regard of each city as a place to live, work locally and remotely, study, retire, visit or invest. This assessment was complemented by 45 attributes grouped into seven pillars: business and investment, liveability, culture and heritage, people and values, sustainability and transport, governance, and education and science.

The three best-rated cities in the world were rated differently according to the different areas evaluated. London, with a score of 84.6 out of 100, is the best city brand in the world. Recognised as a centre of academic excellence, it is ranked as the best place in the world to study. It ranks first in the world for great universities and great private colleges, attracting students from all over the world.

It is also a top tourist destination. Among the factors analysed, it stands out as the best city to visit, while ranking third in terms of great museums and art galleries and great theatres and music venues.

The UK capital's appeal can also be attributed to its strong identity and character, which places it third in the world, according to the report, with New York securing second place with a score of 83 out of 100 in the Brand Finance City Index 2023. It ranks third for familiarity, and second as the best city to invest in, behind Zurich.

It ranks first in the attributes of globally important city, easy to do business in, and strong and stable economy.

It is also home to some of the world's most prestigious universities and has been recognised as the second best city in the world to study in.

True to its name as the "city that never sleeps", it ranks first for shopping, dining and nightlife, and second for theatres and music venues. For all these reasons, New York is the second best city in the world to visit.

Paris scores 79.7 out of 100. It is the third best city to visit. It scores best in 'Culture and heritage'. It also scores well in 'People and values', coming second for being open and welcoming, fun and having a strong identity and character. It lags behind in friendliness, where it ranks 25th, "perhaps in line with stereotypes", says the Brand Finance study.

Other cities' strengths

Also in Europe, Brand Finance highlights Zurich, which tops the rankings as the best city in the world for working locally and remotely, investing and retiring, but its low familiarity reduces its potential.

Some cities on other continents have also performed well in the Brand Finance City Index. In Australia, Sydney ranks fifth as the best city to live in, second best to work and retire in, third best to study and invest in, and fifth best to visit.

Singapore, ranked sixth, and Tokyo, ranked seventh, are the highest-rated Asian cities. The former is best perceived as a great place for start-ups and innovation, as well as being clean and sustainable. It is second for its ease of doing business and third for both its strong and stable economy and its potential for future growth.

At the same time, Japan's capital ranks first as a world leader in science and technology.

Dubai leads the ranking in the Middle East and Africa, and ninth overall. It ranks first for future growth potential, second for strong and stable economy, and third, behind New York and London, as a city of global importance.