Taipei: Taipei has once again secured a spot in the top 100 of the annual global cities index compiled by Oxford Economics, moving up five places from last year to be ranked as the 60th best city in the world in 2025. The index evaluates the 1,000 most populated metropolises based on five criteria: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.

According to Focus Taiwan, the annual index was released in May, highlighting New York's sustained dominance as it retained the top spot, largely due to its robust financial sector and economic stability. Taipei's positioning in the rankings showed a mixed performance: 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, an impressive 15th in quality of life, 284th for the environment, and 75th in governance. The overall rank of 60th marks a positive shift, moving up five spots from the previous year.

Taipei notably outperformed New York in the categories of quality of life and governance, where New York was ranked 90th and 161st, respectively. In addition to Taipei, five other Taiwanese cities were recognized in the Oxford Economics list: Hsinchu City (201st), Taichung (223rd), Kaohsiung (231st), Tainan (270th), and Chiayi City (377th).

On a global scale, following New York in the rankings were London, Paris, San Jose, Seattle, Melbourne, Sydney, Boston, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Apart from Tokyo and Taipei, notable Asian cities in the top 100 included Seoul at 15th, Singapore at 21st, Hong Kong at 72nd, Kuala Lumpur at 79th, and Osaka-Kyoto at 100th. The index predominantly features cities from North America and Western Europe, with a focus on economic scale, knowledge, technical capabilities, and manufacturing output.

Oxford Economics, an independent economic advisory firm headquartered in Oxford, specializes in providing global forecasting and quantitative analysis to international clients.