Stockholm – City Performance, Brand Strength and Reputation

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is the biggest Nordic city with almost 1 million inhabitants. Well known for its architecture and the annual ceremony of the Nobel Prizes, it is also one of the economic powerhouses of Scandinavia.

But how is Stockholm performing in terms of city reputation and influence, business attractiveness and sustainability, according to leading rankings and indices?

Let’s take a closer look at:

• Stockholm’s competitiveness and financial performance
• Its city brand strength and global attractiveness
• Urban sustainability and livability

Economic competitiveness and financial performance

The Global Financial Centres Index 34 ranks Stockholm 40^th, dropping nine positions from the previous ranking. It is currently sitting between Melbourne (39^th) and Calgary (41^st). Stockholm holds the 13^th place in the Western European region, sitting in between Amsterdam and Dublin.

According to 2thinknow’s Innovation Cities Index 2022-2023 Stockholm ranks 13^th, a jump of six positions from the previous ranking. The city now sits in between Chicago (12^th) and Dubai (14^th).

City brand strength and global attractiveness

Resonance’s 2023 World’s Best Cities Report ranks Stockholm 29^th, scoring the following in the Place Power highlights: 2^nd in Labour Force Participation, and 9^th in Educational Attainment. It currently sits in between Riyadh (28^th) and Munich (30^th).

Kearney’s 2023 Global Cities Report ranks Stockholm 40^th, falling four positions compared to last years’ publication. It ranks 8^th for the Global Cities Outlook, a drop of three positions since the previous ranking.

The comprehensive ranking of the Global Power City Index ranks Stockholm 16^th. In terms of function-specific rankings, the city ranks 20^th in terms of Economy, 25^th in R&D, 32^nd in Cultural Interaction, 10^th in Livability, 1^st in Environment, and 22^nd in Accessibility. Admirably, the Swedish capital ranks 5^th in Urban Greenery and 6^th for Average Driving Speed. Lastly, it ranks 21^st in the Highly-skilled Workers, 14^th in the Corporate Executive, 9^th in the Resident, and 28^th in the Tourism categories.

According to Brand Finance’s City Index 2023, Stockholm ranks 18^th in the global ranking, with a score of 71.8/100, sitting between Zurich (17^th) and Milan (19^th).

Livability

The Mercer Quality of Living City Ranking places Stockholm 26^th, tying with Stuttgart. The Mercer Cost of Living Ranking ranks Stockholm 95^th, behind Canberra (94^th) and Nuremberg (96^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, Stockholm ranks 33^rd out of 56 global cities. It currently sits between Vilnius (32^nd) and Helsinki (34^th).

The Arcadis Sustainability City Index 2022 ranks Stockholm 2^nd overall, sitting in between Oslo (1^st) and Tokyo (3^rd). Stockholm’s pillar rankings are the following: Planet 82^nd, People 98^th, Profit 95^th. The city ranks highest on Wi-Fi, income inequality, work-life balance, air pollution, sustainable transport, ease of doing business, and green finance.

Lastly, it is home to some of the best universities in the world. According to The Times Higher Education ranking, Karolinska Institute ranks 50^th and KTH Royal Institute of Technology 95^th. Moreover, the QS World University ranking puts the KTH Royal Institute of Technology 73^rd.

Last updated in January 2024. More city profiles in our City Observatory.

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