From a colony to a superpower in only 200 years
The Global Power City Index is an annual ranking compiled by the Institute for Urban Strategies of the Mori Memorial Foundation in Tokyo. Based on 70 different factors in six categories, the institute rates the attractiveness of the world's top 48 cities based on their "magnetism."
According to the website of the Mori Foundation, a city's magnetism ranking is determined by its "power to attract people, capital, and enterprises from around the world." The six categories considered for this index are: economy, livability, research & development, environment, cultural interaction, and accessibility. Let's find out some of the top cities in the 2023 Global Power City Index.
Chicago, the largest and most powerful city in the US Midwest, ranks 25th in 2023. Chicago is in the top 10 in the research and development category.
The vibrant and diverse German city of Frankfurt is ranked 20th, with particularly good scores in the areas of environment and accessibility. Frankfurt is the fifth most populous city in Germany and is strikingly diverse: the majority of young people have a non-German background.
The Belgian capital is ranked 24th on the 2023 Index. The picturesque city is also ranked third in the world for quality of life and scored well for cultural interaction.
The Swedish capital, nicknamed the "Venice of the North" due to the many rivers and tributaries that meander through the city, was ranked 16th in 2023. Stockholm achieved mostly average results in the various categories, but came first in the environment category.
The beautiful and vibrant Swiss city of Zurich reached the top 10 in the economy and environment categories and is ranked 19th overall in the Global Power City Index.
Toronto, the most populous city in Canada and capital of the province of Ontario, was ranked the 23rd most attractive city in 2023. Toronto earned this spot with good results in most categories.
The Austrian capital Vienna has long been a shining star in Europe, which is only confirmed by its 13th place (up two places) on the list of the most attractive cities. The adopted home of Beethoven and Mozart also came fifth in the environment and quality of life categories.
The Catalan capital of Barcelona, famous for the surrealist architecture of Antoni Gaudí and its rich political history, is ranked 22nd in 2023. In the quality of life category, it occupies an impressive fourth place.
Beijing, the world's largest national capital and one of China's leading centers of culture, commerce, and politics, remains the 17th largest city in the world in 2023, as in the two previous years. It came third in the economy category.
The Danish capital Copenhagen was the 11th most powerful city in 2023. The picturesque city in Northern Europe came second in the environment category and also scored well in the quality of life and accessibility categories.
Known worldwide for its extravagant city life, man-made islands, and the impossibly tall Burj Khalifa, Dubai was ranked the 8th most powerful city in 2023, and 4th in terms of cultural interaction.
Hong Kong is ranked 18th on the Global Power City Index 2023, a full 5 places higher than last year. In the research and development category, the metropolis is in 10th place.
Sydney, one of Australia's largest cities and the capital of the state of New South Wales, was ranked 12th in the 2023 Index. Sydney ranks seventh in the environment category and also scores well in the other areas.
In 9th place is another Australian city, Melbourne, the capital of the southern state of Victoria. Melbourne came in seventh place in the environmental category, one place ahead of Sydney.
Shanghai, China's most populous city and the world's largest port city, was named the 15th most attractive city of 2023. Shanghai ranked 9th in the accessibility category, but also 11th in the economy category.
The Spanish capital Madrid ranked 14th in 2023, a drop compared to 9th place in 2021 and 12th place the previous year. Madrid was ranked as the 2nd most liveable city, 7th for cultural interaction, and 14th for accessibility.
The beautiful South Korean capital Seoul was ranked seventh in the Global Power City Index 2023. Seoul is home to 15 Fortune 500 companies and ranks sixth in the research and development category.
The 10th most powerful and attractive city in the world in 2023 is Berlin. The German capital made it into the top 10 in the categories of cultural interaction, quality of life, and environment, but dropped two places overall compared to the previous year.
In sixth place, once again, is the Dutch capital. Amsterdam is known for its many canals, its particularly beautiful architecture, and its numerous museums. When it comes to accessibility, Amsterdam occupies an impressive 1st place.
The Asian city-state of Singapore was named the fifth most powerful city of 2023 and received a top 10 ranking in the categories of economy and cultural interaction as well as 11th place in the category of research and development.
The French capital Paris, one of Europe's most historically famous cities, was once again voted the fourth most powerful and attractive city in 2023, coming third in terms of cultural interaction and accessibility and even winning in the quality of life category.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the city from which the Global Power City Index is organized, once again took third place in 2023. The only category in which Tokyo did not make it into the top 10 was environment, however.
According to the Global Power City Index, the second most powerful city in the world is New York City, the most populous city in the United States. In the areas of economy and research and development, New York ranked first, as it did in 2022 and 2021.
The English metropolis of London was named the most powerful and attractive city in the world for the twelfth time in a row.
Sources: (Global Power City Index) (The Facts Institute) (WorldStrides)
San Francisco, the golden city of California, came in at 27th place, mainly because of the excellent results that put it in the top 10 in the areas of economy and research and development.
The beautiful city in Switzerland made it to 26th place in 2023. It achieved an impressive third place in the environment category and also landed in 8th place in the economy category.
Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the USA and a global cultural center, ranks 21st on the index, dropping five places compared to its 2022 result. However, it once again came third in the research and development category.
There are many influential cities around the world. Each metropolis stands as a beacon of cultural, industrial, and financial importance. These urban giants boast a mix of strengths and challenges: some excel economically but are less livable, while others lead in eco-friendliness but lack cultural diversity.
Measuring a city's global impact is complex given these different factors. Fortunately, the Mori Memorial Foundation has taken on the task of translating a myriad of details into understandable numbers. In this gallery, we look at the top 27 based on their 2023 analysis.
Curious? Click through the gallery and find out if your city is one of the most powerful cities in the world.
The most powerful cities in the world
Check out which cities feature in the Global Power City Index
LIFESTYLE Ranking
There are many influential cities around the world. Each metropolis stands as a beacon of cultural, industrial, and financial importance. These urban giants boast a mix of strengths and challenges: some excel economically but are less livable, while others lead in eco-friendliness but lack cultural diversity.
Measuring a city's global impact is complex given these different factors. Fortunately, the Mori Memorial Foundation has taken on the task of translating a myriad of details into understandable numbers. In this gallery, we look at the top 27 based on their 2023 analysis.
Curious? Click through the gallery and find out if your city is one of the most powerful cities in the world.