European and North American cities significantly lead the global list of top cities for 2026 published by Oxford Economics, encompassing 78 of the top 100 spots. Of these, 44 cities belong to Europe, 30 to the United States, and 4 to Canada.
Ranking Criteria
This ranking assesses how the largest cities in the world combine economic opportunities with quality of life, skilled workforce, environmental resilience, and sustainable governance. In this list, London ranks second, Paris third, Dublin sixth, and Zurich tenth. Additionally, five American cities including New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, and San Jose are among the top ten global cities.
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Performance of European Cities
European cities such as Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen have also been highlighted in this list. Liam Sides, the urban services director at Oxford Economics, noted that in the United States, strong scores in economic and human capital categories contribute to their high rankings, while in Europe, superior performance in quality of life, environment, and governance is a key factor for success.
Cities like Paris and Dublin have scored highly in quality of life and environmental governance variables. Zurich and Oslo have also benefited from their strengths in governance, with Oslo achieving the highest score in this category among leading European and American cities.
Existing Challenges
However, both regions face a significant weakness: housing affordability. Reports indicate that London, Dublin, and New York are still under pressure from high housing costs, which affects their quality of life. In contrast, cities with lower housing costs can benefit from a competitive advantage by combining rising incomes with lower housing expenses.
Emerging Cities
Compared to last year, Dublin has climbed seven places to rank sixth. Warsaw also achieved a rise of 109 places to rank 61, while Istanbul climbed 42 places to rank 64. Additionally, the cities of Madrid and Budapest each climbed 14 places to reach ranks 30 and 111, respectively.
Meanwhile, Oxford Economics has identified five European cities as "notable cities": Warsaw, Tallinn, Eindhoven, Manchester, and Toulouse. Warsaw, with a rise of over 100 places, has become the largest center for financial services, technology, and business in Central and Eastern Europe.
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