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Global Cities Index 2026

Kumari Sonali

Global Cities Index 2026:

Delhi has secured the 268th position among 1,000 cities in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026.

  • Global Cities Index (GCI) 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.