With the city playing host to major sporting events such as Wimbledon, the ICC Cricket World Cup and the US’ NFL London Championships in 2019 too, London will continue to see an influx of sport-driven international tourism this year. London currently has 72 of the world’s Michelin star restaurants, according to the 2018 Michelin Guide, so it is unsurprising that consumers continue to head to the capital for some of the world’s best dining experiences. Also boosting London’s ranking is increased investment in governance and personal wellbeing, including additional security measures and improvements to the quality of private and public healthcare in the city. London’s ranking as the #1 city in the future and #2 today is in part due to investment in cultural experiences, where the capital was the highest-ranked in three out of five categories: international travellers, sporting events, and culinary experiences. Across these metrics a number of previously leading outlook cities have faltered recently, and this coupled with London’s historically steady performance has resulted in this year’s top position for the UK capital. While the Index reflects cities’ current performance, the Outlook reveals which cities are primed to be the next generation of global hubs by assessing four metrics: personal wellbeing, economics, innovation, and governance. This year’s report combines the Global Cities Index and Global Cities Outlook to assess the best places for businesses to invest now, and in the future, with a look into the current performance of the world’s top cities and the potential of upcoming powerhouses. London has moved up to first place in the Outlook for 2019, having taken the #3 spot in last year’s rankings. Kearney 2019 Global Cities report has found that despite the uncertainty around Brexit, London has taken the top spot as the leading city in the firm’s annual Global Cities Outlook.

London holds top position in the Global Cities Outlook rankings, driven by consistent performance over a five-year span

Global city rankings 2019