London: London tops the definitive ranking of the best cities in the world 2025 published on Wednesday for the tenth consecutive year, closely followed by New York and Paris, even if Indian cities failed to qualify on the criteria of perception and performance. The annual ranking produced by Resonance Consultancy in partnership with Ipsos is an analysis of major urban regions around the world that are leading in the aspects most important to attracting workforce, visitors and businesses.

Where are Indian cities?

The 2025 Report marks a first in the integration of perception-based data by surveying more than 22,000 people in 31 countries for the first time – the results of which also demonstrate that people around the world still very much aspire to live, visit and work in this country. the largest cities in the world. “Mumbai and Delhi are just outside the top 100; these cities in the Asia-Pacific context are among the best, but globally they are not in the top 100,” Chris Fair, chairman and CEO of Resonance Consultancy, told PTI in response to a question during of the report’s launch in London. .

“Mumbai and Delhi have particular strengths, but they have particular weaknesses from a livability perspective relative to these other cities and also from a livability perspective. But in our February Asia-Pacific report, they are in the top 20,” he said.

Verified criteria to select the best cities

The ranking of the world’s best cities is established on the basis of “livability”, or the physical sense of a city based on the quality of its natural and built environment; “adorability”, or quality of life in terms of culture, gastronomy and nightlife; and “prosperity,” or a city’s human capital and the support it receives to thrive. The goal is to create the most comprehensive and holistic approach to measuring and comparing both the perception and performance of cities.

“London continues to set the bar for what a truly great city should be,” said Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, the British capital’s growth agency. “Our iconic attractions, world-class financial sector and rapidly growing technology industry are proof of the strength of our city. But it is the diversity of our people and our ideas that drives the innovation, opportunities and progress that shape our future. No city embodies this like London,” she said.

Top 10 best cities in the world 2025

1. London (United Kingdom)
2. New York (United States)
3. Paris (France)
4. Tokyo (Japan)
5. Singapore
6. Rome (Italy)
7. Madrid (Spain)
8. Barcelona (Spain)
9. Berlin (Germany)
10. Sydney (Australia)

36 US Countries Selected Among Best Cities in the World 2025

While the United States leads with 36 cities in the Top 100, Canada comes far behind with six cities and Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro stand out as new entrants in the 2025 ranking. Perception is reality” is often used when developing corporate reputation management strategies, but the same is true for destinations. By merging the priority destinations where people tell us they want to live, work and visit with the rigorous assessment of places that Resonance has conducted for nearly a decade, we have created a more comprehensive assessment of cities and can better advise destinations on way to strengthen their reputation,” said Jason McGrath, executive vice president of Ipsos.

The overall ranking of the World’s Best Cities is determined by analyzing public perception, combined with a wide range of factors that have demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with attracting a prime-age population (25-44 years old). ), visitor spending and/or business creation. The main takeaway from the latest analysis concerns the strength and resilience of some of the world’s great cities.

(With contributions from the agency)

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