BusinessWeek Logo
A.T. Kearney Ranks the World's Most Global Cities

STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

A.T. Kearney Ranks the World's Most Global Cities

By Matt Mabe

When pressed to name the world's top cities, most of us would probably rattle off a few places with obvious political and economic clout: New York, London, Paris, Tokyo…you know, the usual suspects.

But in a globalizing world, a city's business climate and government alone are no longer adequate measures of what makes it truly global—and thus attractive to companies and employees. That's why management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, along with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Foreign Policy magazine, conducted a study examining the character, influence, and reach of some of the world's greatest urban areas.

The Global Cities Index, released this month, ranks the world's top metropolises by measuring dozens of attributes grouped into five broad categories: business activity, human capital, information exchange, political engagement, and cultural experience.

The leading cities on the list—surprise, surprise—are New York, London, and Paris. But many emerging countries can be proud that their capitals and other major cities are fast becoming challengers to long-recognized leaders. Click on to see a dozen of the world's most global cities.