Author: Mei Ling Tan

In the yearly global city rankings, Singapore has managed to hold onto its fifth place, trailing only behind Tokyo in the Asia Pacific region. This city-state has continued to strengthen its status as a top international education center and a leading pioneer in urban innovation, based on findings from the 2025 Global Cities Report by Kearney, a management consulting company.

Evaluating City Rankings

The Global Cities Index, a section of the Kearney report, relies on publicly accessible data to evaluate 158 cities across the globe, using 31 different metrics over five areas. These include business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experiences, and political engagement.

Singapore showed minor progress this year in areas of political engagement and human capital, primarily due to enhancements in ease of access. However, these advancements were somewhat negated by a decline in cultural experience and business activity.

The top ten cities in the report include five from the Asia Pacific region. Japan’s Tokyo leads the pack in fourth place, followed by Singapore, with Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai from China filling the sixth, seventh, and eighth positions respectively.

Other Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, appeared lower on the list, securing the 33rd and 55th places respectively.

Recognizing Resilience

According to Shigeru Sekinada, Kearney’s regional chair for Asia Pacific, the report highlights the resilience of well-established Asian hubs amid rising global challenges and technological shifts. He lauded the region’s adeptness in managing evolving global dynamics, due to the expansion of digital infrastructure, prioritizing regulatory innovation, and investing in climate resilience. He also expressed optimism that Asia Pacific cities would not only fuel the region’s economic growth but also serve as essential links in the global economy.

The report underscored a shift in the way city competitiveness is viewed. In the emerging era of intelligence, the size or historical importance of a city no longer solely determines its competitiveness. Success now increasingly depends on readiness or the ability to incorporate infrastructure, renewable energy, and talent to grasp opportunities presented by artificial intelligence while managing its associated risks.

Globally, New York City retained its top position, with London and Paris following closely, maintaining their standings from the previous year.

Future City Projections

The report also includes a future outlook section, which examines cities’ ability to foster inclusive growth, attract investment, and preserve livability in a progressively competitive global scenario. In this section, Singapore was the only Southeast Asian city to feature in the top 30, vaulting from 20th place in the previous year to 3rd place projected for 2025.

This significant leap reflects Singapore’s enhanced infrastructure, increasing GDP per capita, and burgeoning foreign investment. It also highlights the city’s active efforts to upgrade its digital infrastructure.

Questions & Answers

What key factors contributed to Singapore’s strong showing in the report?
Singapore’s advancement in political engagement and human capital, as well as its enhanced infrastructure, burgeoning GDP per capita, and growing foreign investment, were key contributors.

How are city rankings determined in the Global Cities Report?
City rankings are determined based on 31 metrics across five areas: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement.

What shifts have been observed in defining city competitiveness?
In the emerging era of intelligence, city competitiveness is no longer solely determined by its size or historical significance. It now increasingly depends on readiness, or the ability to integrate infrastructure, renewable energy, and talent to leverage the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and manage its risks.