MANAMA has moved up 10 places in the latest Global Cities Index (GCI) – advancing on livability, innovation and infrastructure investment.
American global management consultant firm Kearney’s 2025 Global Cities Report reveals that Gulf cities are cementing their positions as rising global hubs, powered by investment in infrastructure, digital readiness and human capital.
GCI evaluates 158 cities across five dimensions: Business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and political engagement.
With 31 indicators, the index quantifies each city’s ability to attract, retain and generate global flows of people, capital and ideas.
The index shows that several GCC cities demonstrated some of the most impressive year-on-year gains in the index, underscoring their growing role in shaping the global economy.
Dubai maintained its leadership position, rising to 23rd globally, followed by Doha (51), Riyadh (56), Kuwait City (90), Muscat (112) and Manama (125).
In the 2024 index, Dubai was ranked at 24, Doha (51), Riyadh (64), Kuwait City (86), Muscat (114) and Manama (135).
Manama was ranked 125th in 2023, 133 in 2022 and 130 in 2021.
A further breakdown of the metrics shows that Manama scored 90 in Business Activity, Human Capital (115), Information Exchange (133), Cultural Experience (123) and Political Engagement (103).
“These results spotlight how Gulf cities are successfully leveraging investments in talent attraction alongside logistics and infrastructure investment to close the gap with traditional global leaders,” said a statement.
This year’s results confirmed the enduring strength of established hubs, with New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore retaining their top five positions.
The Global Cities Report continues to assess cities through two complementary lenses: the GCI and the Global Cities Outlook (GCO).
Together, these frameworks offer a comprehensive view of both current performance and future potential.
The GCO seeks to measure future potential across four dimensions: personal well-being, economics, innovation and governance.
Within these dimensions, 13 indicators assess cities’ capacity to foster inclusive growth, attract investment and sustain livability in an increasingly competitive global environment.
While the GCI quantifies the current state of urban centres, the GCO is a measure of how these same cities are ensuring that they can retain – or augment – their global city status in the future.
In the GCO rankings, Manama was placed at 74 after moving 19 places from last year.
It ranked 100 in Personal well-being, Economics (92), Innovation (133) and Governance (56).
Other Gulf cities in the GCO are: Dubai (25), Doha (56), Riyadh (60), Kuwait City (68) and Muscat (80).
The top five GCO cities are Munich, Seoul, Singapore, San Francisco and Copenhagen.
“The outlook was especially positive for Gulf cities,” said a statement yesterday.
“Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam, Medina, Makkah, Doha and Manama all recorded steady upward movement, fuelled by sustained investment in infrastructure, innovation and livability.
“Together, they highlight the region’s growing influence in shaping the cities of the future.”
Furthermore, the report highlights that across the Middle East, national transformation strategies are reshaping urban trajectories, as cities channel national ambitions into tangible investments in infrastructure, innovation and livability.
“Manama climbed 19 spots, buoyed by innovation efforts that drove improved rankings in patents per capita and private investment,” the report adds.
National Transformations Institute (part of the Kearney Foresight network) head and global business policy council senior partner Rudolph Lohmeyer said cities are no longer defined by legacy advantages or sheer scale.
“Their competitiveness now rests on how well they can cultivate talent, build trust in digital systems and design livable environments that can withstand volatility,” he added.
The Gulf’s trajectory is a clear example of how aligning these factors can change a city’s global standing in just a few years.”
Within this broader wave, Saudi Arabia stands out for the scale and breadth of its progress. The kingdom’s urban transformation is extending well beyond Riyadh, with secondary cities gaining momentum.
Riyadh, up eight places in the rankings, continues to lead the kingdom’s modernisation efforts.
Meanwhile, other Saudi cities such as Makkah (+40), Medina (+41) and Dammam (+28) significantly improved their rankings – reflecting the success of efforts to diversify development beyond the capital.
However, many Western cities showed signs of strain, with governance and social well-being challenges weighing on their rankings.
The 2025 report concludes that future competitiveness will rest on three interdependent enablers: expanding energy capacity, embedding livability and environmental resilience into growth, and preparing talent for artificial intelligence adoption.
“Gulf cities continue to translate long-term transformation agendas into measurable progress,” said Kearney Foresight principal Brenna Buckstaff.
“Their rise reflects the results of sustained investment in talent, infrastructure and environmental resilience – foundations that are strengthening their global competitiveness in the intelligence age.”
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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