Karachi was ranked 918th, while Islamabad and Lahore placed 578th and 878th respectively, in the Global Cities Index by Oxford Economics. The list, topped by New York and London, assessed 1,000 urban economies across 27 indicators in five categories: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance.
Islamabad scored highest among Pakistani cities with 772 in Quality of Life. Karachi earned low scores in Human Capital (612), Quality of Life (851), Environment (917), and Governance (874). London ranked first overall, while Dubai was 6th. The bottom city was Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Oxford Economics recently published their Global Cities Index, where they ranked 1,000 cities around the world based on a range of factors. New York and London topped the list as the best-performing cities globally. Meanwhile, Pakistani cities were ranked much lower.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic hub, was ranked 918th on the list. This low ranking is due to its poor performance in several key areas. Karachi scored particularly low in Quality of Life (851), Environment (917), and Governance (874). Its Human Capital score was somewhat better at 612, but still not very high compared to other cities.
Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, performed better than other Pakistani cities and was ranked 578th. It scored the highest among Pakistani cities in the Quality of Life category, with a score of 772. This indicates that while Islamabad has many challenges, it still provides a relatively better living standard compared to other cities in Pakistan.
Lahore, another major city in Pakistan, was placed 878th in the index. Like Karachi, Lahore faces several issues that have affected its ranking.
The index by Oxford Economics evaluated cities based on five categories: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance. These categories included 27 different indicators to give a comprehensive view of each city’s strengths and weaknesses.
On a global scale, London ranked as the number one city overall, showing strong performance across all categories. Dubai also performed well, securing the 6th position. At the bottom of the list was Sultanpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, which was ranked the lowest among all 1,000 cities assessed.
The Global Cities Index highlights the challenges faced by Pakistani cities in terms of urban development and governance. While there are areas of strength, such as Islamabad’s relatively high Quality of Life score, there is significant room for improvement in other areas, particularly in Karachi and Lahore.
This ranking serves as a wake-up call for policymakers and city planners in Pakistan to address these issues and work towards improving the living conditions and overall performance of their cities on a global scale.
