London City Performance, Brand Image and Reputation

London: how does Europe’s financial hub and one of the world’s most influential cities perform in global rankings that study life quality and social sustainability? Is the Brexit-vote having any influence on London’s capacity to attract tourism and talent? What do the different indices say about the reputation of London, its innovation capacity and business attractiveness?

Let’s explore deeper how London positions itself on the world stage, drawing insights from data provided by TPBO partners and other reputable institutions.

Let’s take a closer look at:

• London’s competitiveness and financial performance
• London’s brand strength and global attractiveness
• Livability: London’s appeal for digital nomads and locals

London’s competitiveness and financial performance

How attractive is London as a place to work and do business? 

The Global Financial Centres Index 34 ranks London 2^nd globally and continues to lead in the Europe region. It is currently sitting in between New York City (1^st) and Singapore (3^rd).

London ranks as follows in areas of competitiveness: 2^nd in Human Capital, 2^nd for Reputational & General, 3^rd for Business Environment, 3^rd for Infrastructure, and 3^rd for Financial Sector Development. It performs very well in the following industry sectors: Investment Management (2^nd), Insurance (2^nd), Government & Regulatory (2^nd), Finance (2^nd), Fintech (2^nd), Professional Services (3^rd), Trading (4^th), and Banking (5^th). London leads the Western European region.

According to 2thinknow’s Innovation Cities Index 2022-2023 London ranks 2^nd, a jump of nine positions from the previous ranking. The city now sits right behind Tokyo (1^st) and New York (3^rd).

London’s brand strength and global attractiveness

Which subfactors hurt and help the brand of London? 

Resonance’s 2023 World’s Best Cities Report ranks London 1^st, scoring the following in the Place Power Score subfactors: 3^rd in Prosperity, 1^st in Lovability, and 1^st in Livability. It also ranks first for the following Place Power Highlights: Culture and Educational Attainment.

Kearney’s 2023 Global Cities Report continues to rank London 2^nd, sitting right below New York City. Moreover, the city ranks 3^rd in the Global Cities Outlook, a drop of two positions since the previous ranking.

The comprehensive ranking of the Global Power City Index ranks London 1^st. In terms of function-specific rankings, the city ranks 2^nd in terms of Economy, 2^nd in R&D, 1st in Cultural Interaction, 9^th in Livability, 11^th in Environment, and 4^th in Accessibility. London ranks 1^st in Variety of WorkPlace Options, 9^th in Winners of Prizes in Science and Technology, 1^st for Nightlife Options, and 11^th for Urban Greenery. Lastly, London positioned 1^st in the Highly-skilled Workers, 1^st in the Corporate Executive, 11^th in the Resident, and 1^st in the Tourism categories.

According to Brand Finance’s City Index 2023, London ranks 1^st in the global ranking with a score of 84.6/100. London ranked as the world’s best city to study in and to visit. London positioned 3^rd for strong identity and character.

Livability: London’s appeal for digital nomads and locals

Which aspects of London’s urban living make it an attractive place to live, work and study?

The Mercer Quality of Living City Ranking places London 45^th, sitting in between Milan (44^th) and Madrid (46^th). The Mercer Cost of Living Ranking ranks London 17^th behind Seoul (16^th), and above Dubai (18^th). The cost living survey reports that factors such as currency fluctuations, cost inflation for goods and services, and instability of accommodation prices are key to determine the cost of expat packages for employees on international assignment.

According to the Best Urban Cities for Digital Nomads ranking by Spot a Home, London ranks 38^th out of 56 global cities. It currently sits between Warsaw (37^th) and Frankfurt (39^th).

The Arcadis Sustainability City Index 2022 ranks London 6th overall, sitting in between Berlin (5^th) and Seattle (7^th). London’s pillar rankings are the following: Planet 6^th, People 22^nd, Profit 23^rd. Its main strengths are: transport, health, Wi-Fi, work-life balance; however, crime is an area which could be improved.

Lastly, London is home to some of the best universities in the world. According to The Times Higher Education ranking, Imperial College London ranks 8^th, University College London 22^nd, King’s College London ranks 38^th, and the London School of Economics ranks 46^th. Whereas, The QS World University ranking ranks Imperial College London 6^th, University College London 9^th, King’s College London ranks 40^th, and the London School of Economics ranks 45^th.

Last updated in January 2024. More city profiles here.

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