A.T. Kearney's Global Cities Index examines which global cities are performing best today, which have the best long-term potential, and what makes a “smart city”?
KearneySenior Digital Marketing Specialist at Kearney
2. 2016 Global Cities Index
London unseats New York
to take the #1 spot, driven
by strong performance
in cultural exchange and
business activity.
Global Cities 2016
3. 2016 Global Cities Outlook
San Francisco maintains
its #1 position as the
“fastest”-improving
city, largely due
to innovation.
Global Cities 2016
4. Global Elite
15 cities rank in the top 25 of both
the Index and Outlook; London
and New York are only cites in
the top 10 of both.
London New York
Global Cities 2016
5. Global Elite
The Elite also include Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto,
San Francisco, Boston, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam,
Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Global Cities 2016
6. Using the leader of each of the Index’s 27 metrics,
the “perfect” city would require 18 different cities.
Global Cities 2016
Global Cities Index—leaders by dimension
Global Cities Index—leaders by metric
Business activity
Foreign-born
population
New York
Top universities
Boston
Population with
tertiary degrees
Tokyo
International student
population
London
Number of inter-
national schools
Hong Kong
Embassies and
consulates
London
Think tanks
Washington, D.C.
International
organizations
Geneva
Political conferences
Brussels
Local institutions
with global reach
New York
Human capital Information exchange Cultural experience Political engagement
New York New York Paris London Washington, D.C.
Note: ICCA is the International Congress and Convention Association.
*Indicates new leaders in 2016
Source: A.T. Kearney Global Cities 2016
Fortune 500
Beijing
Top global
services firms
London
Capital markets
New York
Air freight
Hong Kong
Sea freight
Shanghai
ICCA conferences
Paris*
Access to TV news
Abu Dhabi, Dubai,
Zurich, Geneva*,
Brussels*
News agency bureaus
London
Broadband subscribers
Geneva, Zurich
Freedom of expression
Stockholm
Online presence
Singapore
Museums
Moscow
Visual and
performing arts
New York
Sporting events
London
International travelers
London
Culinary offerings
New York
Sister cities
St. Petersburg*
7. The “fastest”-improving city, based on the leader of
the Outlook’s 13 indicators, would require 20 cities.
Global Cities 2016
Global Cities Outlook—leaders by dimension
*Indicates new leaders in 2016
Source: A.T. Kearney Global Cities 2016
Global Cities Outlook—leaders by indicator
Personal well-being
Stability and security
Warsaw
Healthcare evolution
Multiple leaders
Gini coefficient index
Prague
Environmental
performance
Sydney*, Melbourne*
Economics Innovation Governance
Melbourne* London San Francisco Geneva, Zurich
Infrastructure
Bogotá
GDP per capita
Houston
FDI inflow
Karachi*
Patents per capita
Munich, Shenzhen, Houston
Private investments
San Francisco, Beijing,
New York
University-sponsored
incubators
Mexico City, Nairobi,
Guadalajara, San Francisco
Quality of bureaucracy
Dublin
Ease of doing business
Warsaw
Transparency
Brussels*
8. Global Cities 2016
“Smart cities” place technology at
the core of development strategy.
They rank highly in information exchange,
human capital, and business activity in
the Index and governance and personal
well-being in the Outlook.
9. For more information about
A.T. Kearney’s Global Cities 2016,
please visit:
www.atkearney.com/research-studies/
global-cities-index
Global Cities 2016
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