Toronto outranks Vancouver on list of world's most desirable cities

Two cities in Canada have earned a spot in a new list that ranks cities based on how well they attract people, capital, and enterprises.

The ranking, which includes two major cities in Canada this year, looks at each city's comprehensive power to attract people and companies from around the world. Since 2008, the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies in Japan has published the Global Power City Index (GPCI). The GPCI measures each city's appeal based on six functions: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility.

"The GPCI is able to grasp the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of global cities in a continuously changing world, not only through a ranking, but also through analyzing that ranking's specific components," reads the report.

To compare 48 cities, the six main categories were further broken up into 72 categories. Based on this, each city was scored accordingly, and the highest possible total score is 2,700 points.

Toronto was ranked in the 26th spot with an overall score of 1,063.6, a drop from the 24th spot in 2024. Meanwhile, Vancouver maintained its 36th position for the second year. London retains its one spot with a score of 1,642.2 — a position it has held onto since 2012 — followed by Tokyo (1,535.1) and New York (1,476.6).

Here's a closer look at how Toronto and Vancouver fared this year.

Toronto

Overall ranking: 26
Economy: #14, score 251.6
Research and development: #19, score 62.1
Cultural interaction: #31, score 86.1
Livability: #20, score 349.5
Environment: #24, score 174.1
Accessibility: #27, score 140.2

Although Toronto's economy scored highly this year, there's room for improvement when it comes to its cultural interaction. Out of 500 points, the city only scored 86.1. This category looks at factors such as trendsetting potential, tourism resources, cultural facilities, visitor amenities, and international interaction — an area that matters, as it directly influences how many visitors the city can attract.

The ranking also flagged accessibility as another area for improvement. Toronto scored 140.2 out of 400 points, with traffic congestion and bike-friendliness among the main challenges.

Vancouver

Overall ranking: 36
Economy: #25, score 226.4
Research and development: #27, score 47.9
Cultural interaction: #44, score 54.5
Livability: #24, score 341.4
Environment: #19, score 185.5
Accessibility: #39, score 118.6

Vancouver scored particularly well in the environment category, which shows the city's strong environmental management efforts, urban greenery, and biodiversity. However, accessibility remains a weak spot: out of 400 points, Vancouver scored just 118.6.

The ranking assessed accessibility based on ease of access for international visitors, airport capacity, inner-city transportation, and overall transport comfort, including commute times, traffic, and bike-friendliness. Addressing these issues could certainly make Vancouver an even more attractive destination for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.