1Global Cities 2017: Leaders in a World of Disruptive Innovation
Global Cities 2017:
Leaders in a World of
Disruptive Innovation
A.T. Kearney’s latest analysis takes a look at the world’s
most influential cities as well as those that are likely to
become more important on the global stage.
1Global Cities 2017: Leaders in a World of Disruptive Innovation
New York and San Francisco in the Limelight
Cities are ecosystems for businesses and innovation. The strength of an urban center’s network
of businesses, the talent of its citizenry, the stability of political institutions, and the creativity of
cultural organizations all contribute to an environment in which existing businesses flourish and
new businesses are born.
A.T. Kearney’s Global Cities has been collecting data on these and other factors for the world’s
most important cities since 2008. This 2017 Global Cities report, the seventh edition, testifies to
the continued strength of many of the world’s largest cities in these domains. Identifying New
York City as this year’s leading metropolitan area, this report also makes projections about cities’
potential, finding that San Francisco is best positioned to attract and retain global capital, people,
and ideas in the coming years. Furthermore, a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation this
year has led to the development of four pathways that cities of all kinds can use to foster
start-up ecosystems and achieve greater success.
Global Cities 2017 includes the Global Cities Index, which examines cities’ performance, and the
Global Cities Outlook, which evaluates their potential. Together, the Index and Outlook present
a unique lens on the world’s largest and most influential cities and those primed to make a strong
impact (see sidebar: Global Cities 2017 Analyzes 128 Cities in Six World Regions).
Figure 1 on page 2 presents the top 25 cities in both the Index and the Outlook for 2017. Complete
rankings and more detail about the metrics and their weightings within each dimension can be
found in the appendix.
New York City Regains Top Spot in the Index
The first 10 cities in the 2016 Index continue to lead in 2017, but the city holding first place has
changed once again. New York City lost the top spot to London in 2016 after years of holding the
lead. This year, New York regained the first-place ranking, largely by improving in information
exchange and a maintaining a higher ranking than London in business activity and political
engagement. New York’s performance in these categories ofset London’s strength in cultural
experience, allowing New York to unseat London. Both cities have high human capital in
comparison to other cities in the Index.
Global Cities 2017 Analyzes 128 Cities in Six World Regions
The Global Cities Index examines
the
current performance
of cities
based on 27 metrics spanning five
dimensions: business activity,
human capital, information
exchange, cultural experience,
and political engagement. The
Index provides insights into the
global reach, performance, and
level of development of the
world’s largest cities. It also
allows for the comparison of
diverse cities and the identifi-
cation of core strengths and
distinctive diferences.
The Global Cities Outlook evalu-
ates a city’s
potential
based on
the rate of change for 13 metrics
across four dimensions: personal
well-being, economics, inno-
vation, and governance. These
metrics help evaluate long-term
investment and success by
assessing elements such as
environmental performance,
infrastructure, and innovation
capacity. The Outlook brings a
forward-looking perspective to
city-level policies and practices
that shape future competitive-
ness, identifying growing cities
that are likely to become the
world’s most prominent cities.
2Global Cities 2017: Leaders in a World of Disruptive Innovation
71.1
59.9
59.1
66.7
62.3
59.9
58.8
58.8
57.1
52.5
52.2
52.1
52.8
52.6
53.4
53.6
53.6
53.8
55.1
55.3
55.4
55.4
55.6
56.7
53.0
29.8
30.0
31.7
31.8
32.3
32.3
32.5
33.0
33.7
33.8
34.0
34.4
37.0
38.1
38.3
39.1
44.7
47.4
53.2
62.9
63.2
28.3
28.6
29.0
29.2
Figure
The topcities on the Index and the Outlook
235791213
161718
2024
22
23
26
25423
5415
25
4528
38
48
1820
1361
291637
88
New York
London
Paris
Tokyo
Hong Kong
Singapore
Chicago
Los Angeles
Beijing
Washington, D.C.
Brussels
Seoul
Madrid
Berlin
Melbourne
Toronto
Sydney
Moscow
Shanghai
Vienna
Boston
Amsterdam
San Francisco
Barcelona
Istanbul
Global Cities Outlook, rank and score
Global Cities Index, rank and score
Scoring breakdown
Personal well-being (25%)
Economics (25%)
Innovation (25%)
Governance (25%)
Scoring breakdown
Business activity (30%)
Human capital (30%)
Information exchange (15%)
Cultural experience (15%)
Political engagement (10%)
Note: Bold city names indicate topin both Index and Outlook.
Source: A.T.Kearney Global Cities2468101214161820
21
22
23
24
252415
97
35
1712
16814
2724
3025
21
2332136
40
39
18323722
38
1416
42
6835San Francisco
New York
Paris
London
Boston
Melbourne
Munich
Houston
Stockholm
Moscow
Singapore
Zurich
Sydney
Geneva
Chicago
Amsterdam
Atlanta
Berlin
Washington, D.C.
Toronto
Copenhagen
Düsseldorf
Tokyo
Vancouver
Los Angeles2468101214161820
21
22
23
24
25
3Global Cities 2017: Leaders in a World of Disruptive Innovation
Over the past five years, Melbourne, Istanbul, Berlin, and Miami showed the greatest
improvement in their Index rankings, chiefly because of increases in information exchange,
human capital, and business activity.1
San Francisco Keeps the Lead in the Outlook
Well-known and admired as a center of innovation, San Francisco held its first-place position
as a result of continued strength in this domain, with increases in the number of patents and
business incubators. Over the past two years, Paris continued to improve its standing in the
Outlook and is now challenging San Francisco and New York City. Largely propelled by material
increases in foreign direct investment and moderate improvements in infrastructure, both New
York City and Paris saw increases in the economics domain.2 Paris also saw growth in innovation
as a result of more business incubators and substantial growth in private investment from
venture capital and private equity firms.
Cities that moved up the most in the Outlook since 2015 showed greatest improvement in
economics and governance. Paris, Melbourne, Moscow, and St. Petersburg all rose significantly
in the rankings. Paris and Moscow saw improvements in economics as a result of growth in
foreign direct investment. Moscow and St. Petersburg registered comparative gains in the
quality of their bureaucracies, and Paris and St. Petersburg improved their innovation scores
with growth in the number of incubators.
The Global Elite
Each year, A.T. Kearney identifies the Global Elite—the cities that rank in the top 25 of both
the Index and the Outlook. These cities are not only performing well, but also positioned for
continued growth and global influence in the future. This year, 16 cities qualify, with New York
City, London, and Paris in the top 10 in both rankings (see figure 2).
1 For a discussion of the challenges facing Australia over the next decade and steps leaders can take to promote competitiveness and