Kathmandu, September 18
New York has been ranked the world’s best city in the 2026 Global Cities Index published by Oxford Economics. London ranks second and Paris third.
According to Oxford Economics, the overall ranking was prepared by evaluating 1,000 major cities worldwide on five criteria: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.
New York ranks first, followed by London in second and Paris in third.
Seattle ranks fourth, San Francisco fifth and Dublin sixth. Boston ranks seventh, San Jose eighth, Tokyo ninth and Zurich 10th.
Where does Kathmandu rank?
Nepal’s capital Kathmandu ranks 687th overall. Kathmandu ranks 670th in economics, 562nd in human capital, 840th in quality of life, 639th in environment and 635th in governance.
According to Oxford Economics, the overall assessment combines all five criteria to measure the condition of a city. It covers the city’s overall performance in economic conditions, human resources, housing and quality of life, environment and governance rather than focusing on any single aspect.
New York tops the list with a score of 100, followed by London with 98.8 and Paris with 93.4. Canberra, the capital of Australia, has been ranked the world’s best city for quality of life. It ranks 45th overall.
The quality-of-life assessment considers factors including people’s income, income inequality, rent and housing costs, life expectancy, crime and access to recreational and cultural facilities.
Seven of the top eight cities in the economics index are in the United States. London ranks seventh, while New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington occupy the other positions.
In the human capital index, London, Dubai, Tokyo, Riyadh, New York, Abu Dhabi, Paris and Shenzhen rank first to eighth, respectively.
In the environment index, Honolulu, Fortaleza, Bergen, Wellington, Aracaju, Suva, Stockholm and Santa Cruz de Tenerife rank first to eighth, respectively.
Similarly, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Helsinki, Tampere and Oslo rank first to eighth, respectively, in governance.
