London is for the 7th consecutive year evaluated as the most comprehensively powerful city at #1. With its score increasing even after the Brexit referendum, the city marches forward alone at the top of the ranking. London also manages to enter the top 5 in 13 out of 16 indicators in its key strength Cultural Interaction, further cementing its status as a city with extremely high comprehensive power. The city sees its scores for weaker indicators Housing Rent and Price Level rise, carrying it from #17 to #11 in Livability.

New York shows its highest increase in score since the ranking began as it benefits from the effects of a strong evaluation in Startup Environment and Variety of Workplace Options. The city maintains its top position in the Economy function this year due to improved results in Corporate Tax Rate as well. Although New York is also evaluated highly in other functions—#1 in R&D, #2 in Cultural Interaction, and #3 in Accessibility—the city’s #25 Environment, and #28 Livability remain significant weaknesses.

Despite not experiencing a rise in score as high as the top 2 cities, Tokyo still manages to maintain its seat at #3. In Livability, the city enters the top 10 as it sees improvement in the indicator Total Working Hours. Although Tokyo reaches #3 in the Economy function due to better scores in indicators such as GDP Growth Rate, it receives relatively low scores for Commitment to Climate Action, dropping from #12 to #29 in Environment. Should Tokyo enhance its results in Environment, which is the only function where it ranks outside of the top 10, the city would likely become more balanced in comprehensive power.