The World’s Best Cities has released its annual Best Cities report, revealing the top 100 cities in the world.
Cited by mayors, governors, business leaders, and global media, the report captures the cities shaping culture, commerce, and quality of life today.
One South African city even made it to the list. Take a look…
The World’s Best Cities for 2025
According to the report, which is based on several factors including livability, lovability and prosperity, this year’s top spot once again went to London, a city whose unmatched combination of history, innovation, and cultural depth continues to attract talent and investment.
New York followed closely, embodying relentless energy and economic gravity, while Paris secured third place, driven by its enduring romance, culinary influence, and world-class museums.
Cape Town featured at number 85 and was the only South African city to make the list.
Here are the top 100 best cities:
| # | City | # | City | # | City | # | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 26 | Oslo | 51 | Minneapolis | 76 | Taipei |
| 2 | New York | 27 | Munich | 52 | Ottawa | 77 | Tucson |
| 3 | Paris | 28 | Istanbul | 53 | Austin | 78 | Pittsburgh |
| 4 | Tokyo | 29 | Las Vegas | 54 | Calgary | 79 | Charlotte |
| 5 | Singapore | 30 | Helsinki | 55 | Dallas | 80 | Lyon |
| 6 | Rome | 31 | Atlanta | 56 | Brussels | 81 | Nagoya |
| 7 | Madrid | 32 | Bangkok | 57 | Lisbon | 82 | Porto |
| 8 | Barcelona | 33 | Prague | 58 | Honolulu | 83 | Perth |
| 9 | Berlin | 34 | Washington | 59 | Detroit | 84 | Bilbao |
| 10 | Sydney | 35 | Montreal | 60 | Krakow | 85 | Cape Town |
| 11 | Amsterdam | 36 | Beijing | 61 | Shanghai | 86 | Sapporo |
| 12 | San Francisco | 37 | Orlando | 62 | San Jose | 87 | Athens |
| 13 | Dubai | 38 | St. Louis | 63 | New Orleans | 88 | Hamburg |
| 14 | Los Angeles | 39 | Portland | 64 | Nashville | 89 | Phoenix |
| 15 | Toronto | 40 | Houston | 65 | Edmonton | 90 | Brisbane |
| 16 | Seoul | 41 | Dublin | 66 | Salt Lake City | 91 | Tampa |
| 17 | Chicago | 42 | Osaka | 67 | Baltimore | 92 | Naples |
| 18 | Vienna | 43 | Philadelphia | 68 | Bordeaux | 93 | Richmond |
| 19 | Seattle | 44 | Denver | 69 | Gothenburg | 94 | Birmingham |
| 20 | Milan | 45 | Copenhagen | 70 | Cleveland | 95 | Raleigh |
| 21 | Boston | 46 | San Diego | 71 | Valencia | 96 | Rochester |
| 22 | Vancouver | 47 | Auckland | 72 | Glasgow | 97 | Hong Kong |
| 23 | Miami | 48 | Frankfurt | 73 | Doha | 98 | Nantes |
| 24 | Stockholm | 49 | Zurich | 74 | Warsaw | 99 | Toulouse |
| 25 | Melbourne | 50 | Kuala Lumpur | 75 | Sao Paulo | 100 | Rio de Janeiro |
Have you visited any of these places?
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