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It’s no secret that Londoners are ambitious and (can be) a little bit cut-throat. We’ve all speed-walked past lost tourists on the Underground, run red lights on Lime bikes and elbowed others out the way to be the first in line for the Pret baguette (just me? OK). Perhaps we’re a bit impatient, but it turns out that all that unbridled determination could actually be making a difference, because London has just been named the most powerful city in the world in the new ‘Global Power City Index’ (GPCI).
The 2026 edition of the index assessed cities around the globe across six categories to determine their ‘magnetism’, which the report defines as their ‘comprehensive power to attract people, capital and enterprises from around the world’.
Seventy-two different metrics were assessed and divided into these categories: economy (GDP per capita, employment levels, wage rate); research and development (number of patents, startups and presence of top universities); cultural interaction (proximity to World Heritage Sites and number of theatres, museums, stadiums and hotel rooms); livability (life expectancy and rent prices); environment (air quality and waste recycle rate); and accessibility (the price of a cab and the number of international flights).
Although the Big Smoke lost points from the previous year, it managed to top the list for the 14th consecutive year in a row with an overall score of 1,642.2 out of a possible 2,700. The city ranked first in the cultural interaction category thanks to its top museums, nightlife, hotels and restaurants. It also performed well in the economy, accessibility and research and development categories, however its ranking in the livability and environment category dropped significantly – we can thank the rental and cost of living crises for that.
London beat Tokyo and New York, which came second and third, respectively. The Japanese capital ranked first in the livability category and second in cultural interaction, while NYC dropped from second place in the previous year thanks to soaring living costs.
The top 10 most powerful cities in the world in 2026
- London
- Tokyo
- New York
- Paris
- Singapore
- Seoul
- Amsterdam
- Shanghai
- Dubai
- Berlin
Find out more about the 2026 Global Power City Index here.
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