About Global Cities Index (GCI):
- It is an annual report published by Oxford Economics, a leading global economic advisory firm.
- The index ranks 1000 cities across the world based on five major factors: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment and Governance.
- The rankings are designed to look at both a city's present performance and its future potential.
- GCI 2026 Highlights:
- New York has taken the top spot in the index.
- London has been ranked second, followed by Paris at third, Seattle at fourth, and San Francisco at fifth.
- India Specific Findings:
- Around 100 Indian cities feature among the 1,000 major cities evaluated worldwide.
- Delhi has the highest overall ranking at 268, followed by Bengaluru at 311, Mumbai at 330, Chennai at 381, Hyderabad at 421, and Pune at 427.
- 55 Indian cities have secured spots among the world's top 100 fastest-growing city economies.
- Delhi is currently the world’s 63rd-largest city economy. Oxford Economics projects that it could become the 14th-largest by 2050, with economic output exceeding USD 2 trillion.
- Delhi’s strongest performance came in the Human Capital category, where it ranked 13th globally, ahead of Toronto, Seoul, and Beijing.
- Mumbai is India's leading city for corporate headquarters, ranking 23rd globally on that measure.
- Mumbai's city economy, currently the world's 99th-largest, could rise to 36th-largest by 2050.
- Bengaluru climbed 20 places to 311th globally and was named a ‘City to Watch’, recording the biggest improvement among India’s six largest metropolitan cities.
- Bengaluru is also among the 10 fastest-growing cities globally by forecast GDP growth.
- Chennai and Hyderabad ranked 16th and 15th worldwide, respectively, for forecast GDP growth.
- The primary reason behind Indian cities ranking below the 250th position in the overall index is the lack of adequate infrastructure and quality of life.
- Indian cities rank very low in terms of income equality.
- Delhi ranks second globally for having the worst air quality.
