Dubai Named No. 1 City in Region for Attracting Talent, Capital, Ideas
Dubai retained its leading position in the Mena region and global ranking among the world’s top 25 cities that can attract, retain, and generate global flows of capital, people, and ideas for the third consecutive year.
Kearney’s Global Cities Index, released on Thursday, ranked the emirate 23rd in its Global Cities Report, down one place from the previous year.
The emirate was rated higher than Barcelona, Istanbul, Boston, Frankfurt, Vienna, Miami, and other leading cities.
Being the commercial capital of the region, Dubai has been the top choice for multinationals that are setting up their head offices in the region, thanks to its world-class infrastructure, investor-friendly regulations, availability of the best talent, safety and security, and easy connectivity with other major cities.
Dubai is also a top recipient of tourist inflows and capital spending, attracting foreign capital and the best talent in the region.
The Kearney Global Cities Report rates cities based on five key dimensions: human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, political engagement, and business activity.
Abu Dhabi climbed 10 spots on the global rankings as it strengthened its position as a leading international hub.
Riyadh, Muscat, and Doha also saw their overall rankings improve by nine, eight, and seven places, respectively, primarily driven by strong performance in the Human Capital index. These
Capitalising on the return of international travel to pre-pandemic levels, these cities were able to attract large volumes of migrant talent and tourism.
“As global trade returns to normalised levels, key cities in the Gulf have emerged as beacons of prosperity, resilience, and opportunity. Their resilient economic performance amid challenging global conditions—combined with a concerted focus on promoting livability and talent attraction—has succeeded in drawing ever-greater numbers of expats, making them a remarkable success story in the post-pandemic world,” said Rudolph Lohmeyer, Kearney Partner, National Transformation Institute.
Globally, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing retained the top positions.
