The Global Cities Index and Outlook reveal the world’s top-performing cities and those with the most potential

Highlights from the 2019 Global Cities report:

• New York, London, and Paris maintain their decade-long dominance as the top three cities in the Global Cities Index.
• London’s steady performance brings it to the very top of the Global Cities Outlook. San Francisco drops from first to third as challenger cities outpace the California tech hub in personal well-being and foreign investment. Predictions about the impact of Brexit have yet to materialize, but performance across leading European cities has nevertheless stalled.
• The leading cities continue to outperform the rest of the cities in attracting and retaining qualified talent.
• Results suggest the potential of a transformative shift, with up-and-coming cities gaining momentum in many areas.
• Once again, China proves this point as its urban areas continue to improve their livability, become more citizen-centric, and close in on the world’s leading cities.

The Global Cities Index and Outlook provide insights into the current performance and future potential of cities. Complete rankings and more details about the methodology are provided in the appendix. The Index reveals which cities are the most competitive now in key areas from business activity and culture to human capital, political engagement, and information exchange. New York, London, and Paris continue to hold the top three places. This trio has dominated the Index for the past decade, but even as their standings remain the same, changes in the broader Index scores suggest a fundamental shift is under way.

Moscow continues to increase its global footprint and has the world's most university-sponsored incubators and leads in the ease of doing business.