Nations that changed from the Axis powers to the Allies
There are many influential cities around the world. Each metropolis stands as a beacon of cultural, industrial, and financial importance. These urban giants boast a mix of strengths and challenges: some excel economically but are less livable, while others lead in sustainability but lack cultural diversity.
Measuring a city's global impact is complex given these different factors. Fortunately, the Mori Memorial Foundation has taken on the task of translating a myriad of details into understandable numbers. In this gallery, we look at the top 28 based on their 2024 analysis. Curious? Click through the gallery and find out if your city is one of the most powerful cities in the world.
The Global Power City Index is an annual ranking compiled by the Institute for Urban Strategies of the Mori Memorial Foundation in Tokyo. Based on 70 different factors in six categories, the institute rates the attractiveness of the world's top 48 cities based on their "magnetism."
According to the website of the Mori Foundation, a city's magnetism ranking is determined by its "power to attract people, capital, and enterprises from around the world." The six categories considered for this index are: economy, livability, research & development, environment, cultural interaction, and accessibility. Let's find out some of the top cities in the 2024 Global Power City Index.
The beautiful city in Switzerland made it to 28th place in 2024. It achieved an impressive sixth place in the environment category and also landed in 8th place in the economy category.
Chicago, the largest and most powerful city in the US Midwest, ranks 27th in 2024. Chicago is in the top 10 in the research and development category.
The Belgian capital is ranked 26th on the 2024 Index. The picturesque city is also ranked 11th in the world for quality of life.
San Francisco, the golden city of California, came in at 25th place, mainly because of the excellent results that put it in the top 10 in the areas of economy and research and development.
Toronto, the most populous city in Canada and capital of the province of Ontario, was ranked the 24th most attractive city in 2024. Toronto earned this spot with good results in most categories.
The vibrant and diverse German city of Frankfurt is ranked 23rd, with particularly good scores in the areas of environment and accessibility. Frankfurt is the fifth most populous city in Germany and is strikingly diverse: the majority of young people have a non-German background.
Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the USA and a global cultural center, ranks 22nd on the index, dropping one place compared to its 2023 result. It came fourth in the research and development category.
The capital of Ireland ranked 21st in 2024, securing third place in the 'economic' category, maintaining first place in the rate of gross domestic product growth for the second consecutive year.
The beautiful and vibrant Swiss city of Zurich reached the top 10 in the economy and environment categories and is ranked 20th overall in the Global Power City Index.
The Catalan capital of Barcelona, famous for the surrealist architecture of Antoni Gaudí and its rich political history, is ranked 19th in 2024. In the quality of life category, it occupies an impressive fourth place.
Hong Kong is ranked 18th on the Global Power City Index 2024. In the research and development category, the metropolis is in 10th place.
Sydney, one of Australia's largest cities and the capital of the state of New South Wales, was ranked 17th in the 2024 Index. Sydney ranks seventh in the environment category and also scores well in the other areas.
Beijing, the world's largest national capital and one of China's leading centers of culture, commerce, and politics, is the 16th largest city in the world in 2024. It came sixth in the economy category.
The Austrian capital Vienna has long been a shining star in Europe, which is only confirmed by its 15th place on the list of the most attractive cities. The adopted home of Beethoven and Mozart also came third in the environment category.
The Swedish capital, nicknamed the "Venice of the North" due to the many rivers and tributaries that meander through the city, was ranked 14th in 2024. Stockholm achieved mostly average results in the various categories, but came second in the environment category.
In 13th place is another Australian city, Melbourne, the capital of the southern state of Victoria. Melbourne came in eighth place in the environmental category.
The Danish capital Copenhagen was the 12th most powerful city in 2024. The picturesque city in Northern Europe came first in the environment category and also scored well in the quality of life and accessibility categories.
Shanghai, China's most populous city and the world's largest port city, was named the 11th most attractive city of 2024. Shanghai ranked 7th in the accessibility category, but also 11th in the economy category.
The Spanish capital Madrid ranked 10th in 2024. The city was also ranked as the 2nd most liveable city, 9th for cultural interaction, and 12th for accessibility.
The 10th most powerful and attractive city in the world in 2024 is Berlin. The German capital made it into the top 10 in the categories of cultural interaction, quality of life, and environment.
Known worldwide for its extravagant city life, man-made islands, and the impossibly tall Burj Khalifa, Dubai was ranked the 8th most powerful city in 2024, and 5th in terms of cultural interaction.
In seventh place, once again, is the Dutch capital. Amsterdam is known for its many canals, its particularly beautiful architecture, and its numerous museums. When it comes to accessibility, Amsterdam occupies an impressive 8th place.
The beautiful South Korean capital Seoul was ranked sixth in the Global Power City Index 2024. Seoul is home to 15 Fortune 500 companies and ranks fifth in the research and development category.
The Asian city-state of Singapore was named the fifth most powerful city of 2024 and received a top 10 ranking in the categories of economy and cultural interaction as well as 11th place in the category of research and development.
The French capital Paris, one of Europe's most historically famous cities, was once again voted the fourth most powerful and attractive city in 2024, coming second in terms of cultural interaction, third in accessibility and even winning in the quality of life category.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the city from which the Global Power City Index is organized, once again took third place in 2024. The only category in which Tokyo did not make it into the top 10 was environment, however.
According to the Global Power City Index, the second most powerful city in the world is New York City, the most populous city in the United States. In the areas of economy and research and development, New York ranked first, as it did in 2023 and 2022.
The English metropolis of London was named the most powerful and attractive city in the world for the twelfth time in a row.
Sources: (Global Power City Index) (The Facts Institute) (WorldStrides)
The most powerful cities in the world
Check out which cities feature in the Global Power City Index
LIFESTYLE Ranking
There are many influential cities around the world. Each metropolis stands as a beacon of cultural, industrial, and financial importance. These urban giants boast a mix of strengths and challenges: some excel economically but are less livable, while others lead in sustainability but lack cultural diversity.
Measuring a city's global impact is complex given these different factors. Fortunately, the Mori Memorial Foundation has taken on the task of translating a myriad of details into understandable numbers. In this gallery, we look at the top 28 based on their 2024 analysis. Curious? Click through the gallery and find out if your city is one of the most powerful cities in the world.