Global Cities Index

Foreign Policy magazine, in conjunction with the consulting firm A. T. Kearney and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, publishes the Global Cities Index, a classification of global cities, based on consultation with Saskia Sassen, Witold Rybczynski, among others. Foreign Policy notes that "*the largest and best interconnected cities in the world help establish global agendas, are in a position to confront transnational dangers and serve as centers of global integration. They are the engines of growth for their countries and the gateways to the resources of their regions."[4]​ The classifications are based on the evaluation of indicators distributed in five areas: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural activity and political commitment.

In 2021, the main global cities were:[5]​.

The Most Talked About Cities in the World

The World's Most Talked About Cities is a report published by ING Media, a London media company. The report ranks 250 global cities by the number of times they are mentioned on social media and in the online press.[6]​[7]​.

In 2019 the most talked about cities in the world were:[6]​.

The Best Cities in the World

The World's Best Cities ranking is produced by real estate consultancy Resonance Consultancy, which evaluates each city according to six criteria: place ("perception of the quality of the city's natural and built environment"), product ("key institutions, attractions and infrastructure"), programming ("arts, culture, entertainment and the culinary scene"), people ("diversity and level of immigration"), prosperity ("employments and corporate headquarters") and its promotion ("stories, references and reviews shared online").[8]​[9][10]​.

In 2021, the top 10 cities in the world were:[8].

Global City Lab

In 2019 the Global City Lab published a ranking of the top 500 global cities, ranked by their brand value. According to this report, the ten most important global cities are:[11]​.

Global Power Cities Index

The Global Power City Index is an annual report of the world's most powerful global cities published by the Urban Strategies Institute of the Mori Memorial Foundation in Japan. The index classifies each city according to six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, quality of life, environment and accessibility. In turn, 70 additional indicators are included within each category.[12]​.

According to the 2021 report, the ten most powerful cities in the world were:[13]​.

Wealth Index

The City Wealth Index is an index published by Knight Frank LLP and Citi Private Bank that evaluates which cities are most important to high-income people, defined as those with assets greater than $25 million US dollars (22.6 million euros). According to the report, the most important considerations for these people are economic activity, political power, knowledge, influence and quality of life.

According to its 2021 report, the most important global cities are:[14]​.

GaWC Study

The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (or "GaWC") is a British think tank that publishes a report every two years that ranks the world's cities according to their level of globalization and their connectivity to so-called "advanced services" such as accounting, advertising, banking, finance and law. The report gives more weight to economic aspects than to political, social or cultural aspects. According to these criteria, cities are classified into three city categories: Alpha (with four subcategories), Beta (with three subcategories) and Gamma (with three subcategories).

The report has been published continuously since 1998 with editions in 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020. According to the 2020 report, the most important cities in the world are as follows:[15]​.

(1) or (1) indicates that the city moved up or down since its ranking in the 2018 report.[16]​[15]​.

Cities at the Alpha level are connected to the world's major economic states and regions and connected to the global economy. Alpha cities are categorized into four city subcategories: Alpha++, Alpha+, Alpha, and Alpha−.

Alpha ++ cities are the cities most integrated into the global economy:[15]​.

Alpha+ cities are cities that are highly integrated into the global economy, providing advanced services to the global economy:[15]​.

Other criteria

Other criteria, not considered in lists such as those of the GaWC that are based on specific criteria and, therefore, may not include other globally significant cities, such as:.

Global Financial Centers Index

The Global Financial Centers Index is a biannual ranking that measures the competitiveness of the world's major financial centers. The index is developed based on more than 29,000 ratings from an online questionnaire, along with data from more than 100 indices from organizations such as the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

As of March 24, 2022, the main financial centers in the world among the 119 financial centers classified are:[2]​[3]​.

Global Cities Index

Foreign Policy magazine, in conjunction with the consulting firm A. T. Kearney and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, publishes the Global Cities Index, a classification of global cities, based on consultation with Saskia Sassen, Witold Rybczynski, among others. Foreign Policy notes that "*the largest and best interconnected cities in the world help establish global agendas, are in a position to confront transnational dangers and serve as centers of global integration. They are the engines of growth for their countries and the gateways to the resources of their regions."[4]​ The classifications are based on the evaluation of indicators distributed in five areas: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural activity and political commitment.

In 2021, the main global cities were:[5]​.

The Most Talked About Cities in the World

The World's Most Talked About Cities is a report published by ING Media, a London media company. The report ranks 250 global cities by the number of times they are mentioned on social media and in the online press.[6]​[7]​.

In 2019 the most talked about cities in the world were:[6]​.

The Best Cities in the World

The World's Best Cities ranking is produced by real estate consultancy Resonance Consultancy, which evaluates each city according to six criteria: place ("perception of the quality of the city's natural and built environment"), product ("key institutions, attractions and infrastructure"), programming ("arts, culture, entertainment and the culinary scene"), people ("diversity and level of immigration"), prosperity ("employments and corporate headquarters") and its promotion ("stories, references and reviews shared online").[8]​[9][10]​.

In 2021, the top 10 cities in the world were:[8].

Global City Lab

In 2019 the Global City Lab published a ranking of the top 500 global cities, ranked by their brand value. According to this report, the ten most important global cities are:[11]​.

Global Power Cities Index

The Global Power City Index is an annual report of the world's most powerful global cities published by the Urban Strategies Institute of the Mori Memorial Foundation in Japan. The index classifies each city according to six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, quality of life, environment and accessibility. In turn, 70 additional indicators are included within each category.[12]​.

According to the 2021 report, the ten most powerful cities in the world were:[13]​.

Wealth Index

The City Wealth Index is an index published by Knight Frank LLP and Citi Private Bank that evaluates which cities are most important to high-income people, defined as those with assets greater than $25 million US dollars (22.6 million euros). According to the report, the most important considerations for these people are economic activity, political power, knowledge, influence and quality of life.

According to its 2021 report, the most important global cities are:[14]​.

GaWC Study

The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (or "GaWC") is a British think tank that publishes a report every two years that ranks the world's cities according to their level of globalization and their connectivity to so-called "advanced services" such as accounting, advertising, banking, finance and law. The report gives more weight to economic aspects than to political, social or cultural aspects. According to these criteria, cities are classified into three city categories: Alpha (with four subcategories), Beta (with three subcategories) and Gamma (with three subcategories).

The report has been published continuously since 1998 with editions in 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020. According to the 2020 report, the most important cities in the world are as follows:[15]​.

(1) or (1) indicates that the city moved up or down since its ranking in the 2018 report.[16]​[15]​.

Cities at the Alpha level are connected to the world's major economic states and regions and connected to the global economy. Alpha cities are categorized into four city subcategories: Alpha++, Alpha+, Alpha, and Alpha−.

Alpha ++ cities are the cities most integrated into the global economy:[15]​.

Alpha+ cities are cities that are highly integrated into the global economy, providing advanced services to the global economy:[15]​.

Other criteria

Other criteria, not considered in lists such as those of the GaWC that are based on specific criteria and, therefore, may not include other globally significant cities, such as:.