94th best city in the world: Birmingham drops in power rankings for World’s Best Cities Report 2025

Birmingham has been named among the best cities on the planet in the new 2025 World’s Best Cities Report.

But the Second City has dropped 9 places in year’s power rankings from 85th to 94th place.

London has topped the list of the World's Best Cities list once again, with New York and Paris coming in at second and third respectively.

The organisation behind the World's Best Cities list ranks the cities with a population of more than a million.

Glasgow in 72nd place is the only other UK city on the list.

The criteria is from six categories including sense of place, connectivity and attractions, culture and nightlife and prosperity.

Best Cities is the home of Resonance’s ranking of the world’s top urban destinations. The data is used by leading news outlets, trusted by city leaders, and is widely considered to be the world’s most comprehensive annual city ranking.

Bloomberg calls it, ”The most comprehensive study of its kind; it identifies cities that are most desirable for locals, visitors, and businesspeople alike, rather than simply looking at liveability or tourism appeal.”

Birmingham was named the 85th best city to live in in the world in last year’s report (2024) - but how has it done this time around?

The report says: “England’s historic industrial heart beats anew with robust infrastructure that fosters a cultural economy.

“Birmingham (or “Brum”), the second-largest city in England, has resumed the skyward trajectory of its Golden Decade before COVID hit.

“The 2010s saw a massive influx of Fortune 500 regional offices chasing one of Europe’s youngest workforces (about 40% of Brummies are under 25) and their coveted skills in finance and professional services honed at the city’s eponymous university (and the #12-globally ranked Nightlife scene it fuels).

“Urban investment followed, from the opening of Europe’s largest library to plans (coming to life this decade) for the HS2 high-speed rail network connecting Birmingham to London in 45 minutes.

“Brum’s #10-ranked global attractions will soon get even more attention. This also makes Birmingham’s airport (ranked #61) a suddenly convenient option to access the country’s capital, and there’s fittingly an ongoing US$380-million investment plan to increase the airport’s capacity to 18 million passengers by 2033.

“The number of jobs being created is staggering, especially within the booming life sciences and green technology clusters as both the government and private local companies like Land Rover and Jaguar rush toward renewables.

“Given all the big news in town, it’s no wonder that Birmingham just became the new headquarters of national tourism agency VisitBritain/VisitEngland in April 2024.”

Highlights from Birmingham's profile:

• Cultural and economic transformation: Known historically as an industrial city, Birmingham is rebranding itself with investments in infrastructure and green technology.
• Attractions and Infrastructure: The city is recognised for its youthful population, cultural initiatives, and future connectivity improvements like the HS2 high-speed rail network.

Based on each city's perception and performance for liveability, lovability, and prosperity, these are the World’s Top 10 Best Cities for 2025:

1. London, UK

2. New York, USA

3. Paris, France

4. Tokyo, Japan

5. Singapore

6. Rome, Italy

7. Madrid, Spain

8. Barcelona, Spain

9. Berlin, Germany

10. Sydney, Australia

The full ranking and extensive profiles of all 100 of the World’s Best Cities are available at WorldsBestCities.com