London, #1 position in the comprehensive ranking, increased its score for the first time in past three years. London’s strengths are driven by its cultural attractions and international airline network, with #1 position in the Cultural Interaction and #4 position in Accessibility. This city also maintains high rankings in other functions, with its lowest ranking in the Environment is #11, indicating that its strengths are wellbalanced.

New York was trailed by London in the comprehensive ranking score this year. While New York is ranked #1 in Economy and R&D as in previous years, it has dropped to #28 in Environment, and has not improved its ranking in Livability function, which is ranked #38, the lowest of the six functions. It is characteristic of New York that there is such a large difference between its strengths and weaknesses.

Tokyo, which has been closely trailed by #4 Paris since last year, maintained its #3 position in the comprehensive ranking by a narrow margin. This year Tokyo improved in the Livability by increasing its “Cost of Living” score as well as the total score in the Cultural Interaction. However, in the Economy, it fell to #10, and it shows a clear division between growth and decline in the different functions.