The world's top cities were just ranked and Montreal fell surprisingly flat

A new global ranking of the world's top cities just came out, and Montreal didn't fare too well.

Oxford Economics recently released its 2025 Global Cities IndexGlobal Cities Index, which measures the world's 1,000 largest urban economies across five major categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.

While New York, London, and Paris took the top three spots overall, Montreal came in at 43rd place — behind cities like Denver, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Dallas. Toronto, by contrast, landed at a strong 20th overall, making it the highest-ranked Canadian city on the list.

Montreal's best scores came in governance and quality of life, thanks in part to its long life expectancy — "among the highest in North America," according to the report. Oxford Economics credits this to the city's "excellent healthcare system, which includes the McGill University Health Centre," plus its vibrant mix of festivals and cultural spots.

When it comes to talent, Montreal also holds its own. The city's "strong Human Capital score is driven by its globally ranked universities and several corporate headquarters,” like McGill, Air Canada, and CN. It's also "a hub for AI research and video game development, attracting a highly skilled workforce from around the world."

But not everything is rosy. Montreal scored just 68.0 in the economics category — lower than Toronto (76.7) and well behind New York (100). One reason? "Incomes in Montreal are among the lowest of cities in North America," the report says. And even though rent is cheaper than in cities like Toronto or Vancouver, "residents still spend more of their income on housing than in the vast majority of our 1,000 cities."

Believe it or not, Montreal's worst score was for the environment. The city struggles with "emissions intensity" linked to its transport sector, and faces "inconsistent temperatures with significant volatility," which are expected to worsen with climate change.

Still, the city managed to outrank fellow Canadian spots like Calgary (61st) and Ottawa-Gatineau (88th), while Vancouver just edged ahead in 37th place thanks to higher scores in environmental sustainability and governance.

Top 50 of Oxford Economics' Global Cities Index 2025

1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. San Jose
5. Seattle
6. Melbourne
7. Sydney
8. Boston
9. Tokyo
10. San Francisco
11. Los Angeles
12. Washington, D.C.
13. Dublin
14. Stockholm
15. Seoul
16. Zurich
17. Oslo
18. Copenhagen
19. Dallas
20. Toronto
21. Singapore
22. Munich
23. Brisbane
24. Chicago
25. Geneva
26. Denver
27. Amsterdam
28. Atlanta
29. Berlin
30. Houston
31. Perth
32. Luxembourg
33. Philadelphia
34. Brussels
35. Minneapolis
36. Vienna
37. Vancouver
38. Helsinki
39. Hamburg
40. San Diego
41. Phoenix
42. Basel
43. Montreal
44. Madrid
45. Miami
46. Tel Aviv
47. Austin
48. Bern
49. Gothenburg
50. Portland

You can explore the full Global Cities Index 2025 and rankings breakdown on Oxford Economics' website.

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