Oxford Global Cities Index 2026: Delhi Ranks 268th Among 1,000 Cities
In the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index ranking of the world’s 1,000 largest cities across five categories – Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment and Governance, Delhi is ranked 268th and becomes the best-ranked Indian city in the 2026 index. Bengaluru comes second with 311th rank and Mumbai with 330th rank. In terms of global rankings, New York leads in first place followed by London and Paris.
The overall ranking of Delhi varies greatly between the five categories of the index. The best performance of Delhi is in Human Capital category whereas its rankings in Quality of Life and Environment are relatively poor.
| Category | Delhi’s Rank |
| Overall | 268th |
| Economics | 116th |
| Human Capital | 13th |
| Quality of Life | 781st |
| Environment | 915th |
| Governance | 415th |
The index rates the cities based on several socioeconomic parameters rather than basing on one single parameter. Oxford Economics mentions that its methodology combines five category scores into one overall score.
There are many Indian cities have featured in the 1000 cities which are being measured for the ranking. Delhi has topped the list with Indian entry and major cities are also part of it.
| City | Global Rank |
| Delhi | 268 |
| Bengaluru | 311 |
| Mumbai | 330 |
| Chennai | 381 |
| Hyderabad | 421 |
| Pune | 427 |
| Thrissur | 477 |
| Kochi | 489 |
| Kolkata | 496 |
| Kozhikode | 499 |
| Tiruchirappalli | 538 |
| Chandigarh | 558 |
| Puducherry | 562 |
| Coimbatore | 564 |
| Ahmedabad | 564 |
| Madurai | 576 |
| Jaipur | 634 |
| Lucknow | 725 |
| Patna | 783 |
| Varanasi | 832 |
| Agra | 861 |
| Kanpur | 899 |
| Sangli | 920 |
| Vijayawada | 932 |
| Shahjahanpur | 953 |
| Dhanbad | 965 |
| Bokaro | 987 |
| Sultanpur | 999 |
Global Cities Index considers the following five broad dimensions,
Each dimension is rated out of 100, with a final rating that is a sum of the ratings for all five dimensions. The scoring system involves Oxford Economics city forecasts, in addition to the standardized data sources, providing the index with a forward-looking element.
| Rank | City | Country |
| 1 | New York | United States |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom |
| 3 | Paris | France |
| 4 | Seattle | United States |
| 5 | San Francisco | United States |
| 6 | Dublin | Ireland |
| 7 | Boston | United States |
| 8 | San Jose | United States |
| 9 | Tokyo | Japan |
| 10 | Zurich | Switzerland |
The Global Cities Index has been developed by the Oxford Economics, which is a global economic research and forecasting firm.
The index was introduced in the year 2024 and assesses the world’s 1,000 largest cities based on a multidimensional approach.
The year 2026 Global Cities Index continues the five-dimensional classification including Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance.
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