It's hard to believe that there could be other rankings of the best cities in the world which are as insightful as ours, but low and behold, Resonance Consultancy’s annual one has just been announced, and it’s pretty comprehensive too.
Each year, the company analyses more than 270 cities, which are home to at least one million people, to determine the top 100. They combined data and qualitative evaluations along with recommendations by locals and visitors on platforms like TripAdvisor and Facebook, to evaluate three core, overarching factors — ‘liveability’, ‘lovability’ and ‘prosperity’.
Liveability incorporates how walkable a place is, airport connectivity and the number of parks, among other factors. Lovability relates to culture — the number of nightlife and restaurant spots, as well as Google and Facebook check-ins. Prosperity includes analysis of the poverty rate, educational attainment and GDP per capita.
So where is the best city in the world? Well, for an impressive eighth year in a row, the answer is London, aptly dubbed the ‘capital of capitals.’ The sprawling metropolis of the UK capital comes out on top for culture, meaning it has the highest number of performing arts and cultural spaces recommended on TripAdvisor.
London tops the liveability and lovability charts overall, in fact, and its quick pandemic recovery, and the revitalisation of its public transport system thanks to opening of the Lizzie Line, have also contributed to its success.
In second place, it’s Paris, conveniently ahead of the 2024 Olympics. The report highlights how the city is ‘future-proofing’ itself with exciting sustainable and investment initiatives. In third place, it’s New York, which has experienced a spectacular return in tourist numbers, from 33 million in 2021 to a projected 61 million for 2023.
Tokyo comes in fourth place, notably meaning the top four cities in this list haven’t changed from last year’s ranking. However, Singapore has shot from number nine in 2023 to number five for 2024, and it’s the second highest ranking hub for the prosperity category.
Best cities in the world for 2024
- London, UK
- Paris, France
- New York City, US
- Tokyo, Japan
- Sinagpore
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- San Francisco, US
- Barcelona, Spain
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Seoul, South Korea
You can read the full study here, and then of course, check out our ranking for the best cities in the world.
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