World's best cities ranked. Here's where Toronto is on the list.
Toronto was just named one of the world’s best cities to live in, ranked among the top 20 globally by Resonance Consultancy. London, England leads the pack worldwide (for the 11th consecutive year), with New York City coming in second and Paris placing third.
Published:
Image 0 of 14
Toronto among the top 20 best global cities Toronto was just named one of the world’s best cities to live in, ranked among the top 20 globally by Resonance Consultancy. London, England leads the pack worldwide (for the 11th consecutive year), with New York City coming in second and Paris placing third.
What is this ranking? Every year, the Vancouver-based marketing firm pours over a combination of core statistics and user-generated data from more than 400 global cities with populations of more than one million. Using three key factors—livability, lovability, and prosperity—the ranking considers metrics like public transit, green space, standard of living, restaurants, museums, universities and unemployment rate (among many others).
All of these factors—46 metrics across 30 categories—blend together to create Resonance’s Place PowerTM Score, which reflects the cities’ desirability to live, work or visit. The ranking also includes opinions of more than 21,000 respondents across 31 countries, surveying them on where they would most like to live or visit, and where they believe they’d find the best job opportunities.
Toronto applauded for its 'brainpower' Toronto comes in at 17, which is actually two spots lower than what it got on last year’s list. It is placed right behind Shanghai, China, and just ahead of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Resonance applauded Toronto’s “brainpower,” due to its globally recognized universities and boasting the fourth-most educated population on this planet.
The ranking said Toronto came in fourth for educational attainment and 11th for universities.
Is Toronto Canada’s ‘sensible gateway for immigration and innovation?’ Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute and professor of geography and planning at the University of Toronto, said it felt like “faint praise or a backhanded compliment” to see Toronto applauded for its sensibility.
“I think what they were reaching for is like sensible because they describe us as being very highly educated,” Siemiatycki said, pointing to the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and York University and all of Ontario’s colleges making the region a global education hub.
Siemiatycki the ranking may have also called Toronto “sensible” due to the investments it makes in its infrastructure, in that Toronto does not necessarily have “flashy” or “wild” buildings like one may see in Dubai or Singapore.
‘We’re building a place that’s great to live’ In terms of sensibility, Siemiatycki said Toronto is making some new investments, some of which were even highlighted by Resonance.
“We’re building a great place to live, and some of the new investments—they also mention Biidaasige Park and Port Lands (Flood Protection) —are generational. That is a truly generational investment and people are already raving about it,” Siemiatycki said, saying they are “sensible” investments from an environmental perspective.
“If we want to pick up on that word sensible and use it more charitably, rather than more of a backhanded compliment, that is what we need now, is just really double down on what’s made this the 17th best place in the world, which is investments in quality and investments in livability.”
Toronto a ‘coveted’ city for newcomers Resonance called Toronto a coveted place for many immigrants to live, noting how the majority of people who live in the city were born outside of Canada.
“I think those are also the characteristics of what Toronto is at its best, and I think every Torontonian would say that we really embrace newcomers,” Siemiatycki said.
What else did the ranking have to say about Toronto? According to Resonance, Toronto is a coveted place for immigrants to move to, thanks to its job opportunities at “centuries-old companies and a humming start-up scene.”
“You feel the growth in the skyline: more than 150 tower cranes, a renovated Massey Hall, Renzo Piano’s Ontario Court of Justice and Love Park’s heart-shaped pond,” the ranking reads, adding that these spots are like “catnip” for social media as many share Instagram posts of the city.
Construction projects stalled despite number of cranes seen in Toronto skyline Resonance made a point of acknowledging the number of tower cranes one can see in Toronto’s skyline, but Director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto Karen Chapple says it failed to acknowledge how long construction projects are taking,
“One would note, if one lived here, one would note that a lot of them have construction that stalled,” she said.
In October, CivicAction found the number of stalled real estate projects in Toronto quadruple the amounts that are actually in construction.
What else did the ranking have to say about Toronto? Resonance also pointed to how Toronto is preparing for the FIFA World Cup next year.
While exciting for the city, Siemiatycki says there are some details Toronto needs to go over, pointing to the transit issues recently seen following World Series games.
“We will make sure it will be fun … it will be a party because the World Cup is always a party here, because there’s so many people from all over the world who are all cheering their side and making it an absolute great event,” Siemiatycki says. “Now that we’re hosting it, we also need to make sure that we are on top of the details when it comes to both security and the logistics.”
‘A little bit out of date’ Chapple said it was “strange” Resonance highlighted the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which the firm says acts as a “pipeline” that is “strengthening citywide events.”
“I think of that as being a little bit out of date,” Chapple said.
Vancouver trails after Toronto on global ranking Vancouver is second highest for Canada, coming in at 41st on the list. Resonance says this coastal city embraces its “global reputation as a coveted, livable destination,” as it has the capability of attracting global talent and students with its “seawall sunsets,” highly ranked universities and business ecosystem.
“The town sometimes referred to as ‘No Fun City’ is buzzing these days, with the long-awaited opening of Oakridge Park’s revived retail, dining and cultural district wrapped around a new nine-acre park: a fresh anchor on the Cambie Corridor and a timely boost to local spend,” Resonance says.
It also applauds Vancouver’s air quality, its hotel development policy to keep up with its increased tourism and its upcoming projects to boost infrastructure, like the Broadway Subway Project and the new St. Paul’s Hospital.
Montreal is the third-highest Canadian city on the global list Montreal ranked five places behind Vancouver at 46, calling it the most European city in North America with an “enticing lore.”
"You can feel it from Mile-Ex labs to Old Port cobble as the city is increasingly lauded for urban initiatives like its #20 Biking ranking with fresh segments of its protected REV corridors," Resonance said.
It also pointed to Montreal's continued funding for its pedestrian-only thoroughfares, cafe-lined urbanism that locals love, and the riverfront reinvention that is powering "the buzzing real-estate market."
Ottawa places in 73rd worldwide Ottawa came nearly 30 places behind Vancouver at number 73, going into 2026 as a “cosmopolitan global city in its own right” that has been “long overshadowed” by Toronto and Montreal. (AP / Jae C. Hong)
Calgary the last major Canadian city to make the cut The last Canadian city to crack the list is Calgary, placing 85th for its “youthful vigor” and big infrastructure.
"With a median age of just 38 years in 2021, Calgary ranks among the country's youngest major cities, a powerful foundation for its fast-growing tech and creative sectors," Resonance said.
