Birmingham named in World’s Best Cities Report 2024 - see where the city ranks in new list

Birmingham has been named among the best cities on the planet in the new 2024 World’s’s Best Cities Report.

The report is compiled by Resonance, a leading advisor in tourism, real estate and economic development, and its World’s Best Cities rankings quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and competitive identity for the planet’s urban centres.

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 livability or tourism appeal.”

Birmingham was named the 85th best city to live in in the world in the updated 2024 rankings. Brum was named among 5 other British cities in the list coming below London, Glasgow, Manchester, and Liverpool, but above Leeds.

London claimed the top spot and was named the best city in the world, while Glasgow was named the UK’s second best city (61st in the overall list) Manchester is ranked in 72nd place, followed by Liverpool ranked in 74th place, with Birmingham at 85th and Leeds at 88th.

Paris was second in the list, with New York in 3rd place, Tokyo 4th and Singapore making up the top 5.

What did the report say about Birmingham?

The World’s Best Cities 2024 report about Brum, said: “Birmingham (or “Brum”), the largest city in the West Midlands and second-largest in England, has inspired both industry and imagination throughout the centuries. The area’s rich coal and iron deposits fueled its ascent as a vital engine for the British Empire, resulting in some of the fastest urban growth on the planet in the 19th century.

“At the same time, its economic success provided a ringside opportunity to assess the true cost of all that progress long before such things were questioned. J.R.R. Tolkien grew up here, and the author often cited his childhood adventures in the West Midlands countryside as the inspiration for Middle Earth. No wonder the city ranks #48 in our Sights & Landmarks subcategory.

“Or that the Birmingham Library is the largest public library in Europe. Fellow Birmingham cultural analysts Black Sabbath shared their own local inspiration with the world a half-century later.

“Beyond the cultural clout of the region (Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, is a 40-minute train ride south), the city today is as entrepreneurial as you’d find in the U.K., with business finally back at the 36-ranked convention center and a talent pipeline stocked by it eponymous 42-ranked uni.”

You can see the list in full, here.