London remains the most desirable city in the world

Working with our partners at Resonance Consultancy for the second time, we asked 21,000 respondents across 31 different countries to tell us the cities that most appealed to them as places to visit, to work, or to live. This data was then combined with hard “performance” metrics including air quality, the strength of internet infrastructure, availability of green space, labour force participation, and data from social media review sites to determine the most globally desirable destinations for investment, business, and tourism. This unique and intensive methodology produced the same result as last year – with London retaining its title as the world’s most prestigious city. The rankings and analysis can be found in full on Resonance’s website, where you can also download a copy of the report.

Each city was assessed according to its livability, lovability, and prosperity – and taking all these considerations into account produced these top 10 Best Cities for 2026:

Visit the World's Best Cities website