Seoul placed 15th in Global Cities Index

City earns high points for human capital but fails to show strength in environmental factors

A cityscape of Seoul, South Korea (Getty Images Bank)

Seoul placed 15th among 1,000 cities worldwide and second among Asian countries, in the Global Cities Index compiled by Oxford Economics on Wednesday.

The Global Cities Index, launched in 2024 to indicate the strengths and weaknesses of 1,000 urban economies around the world, compiles its report based on five evaluation criteria: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.

According to the index, Seoul’s overall ranking this year rose by 24 spots compared to its ranking in 2024, where the city was placed 41st at the time.

Specifically, Seoul’s economy, including its gross domestic product and employment rates, was ranked 18th. Though the companies based in the capital city were judged to have a strong industrial base, the index determined that there were still structural constraints remaining, such as its economic slowdown and aging population rates.

In terms of its human capital, Seoul ranked fifth, due to the excellent performance of the higher education institutions based in the city as well as its presence of major conglomerates.

However, Seoul received significantly low scores for the quality of life, environment and governance sectors, being placed 129th, 514th and 147th, respectively.

For the quality of life category, the high living costs as well as housing shortages were cited as major issues behind the low ranking. The recent political uncertainty, including the martial law debacle in early December 2024 and the impeachment of the president in April 2025, were cited as negative factors behind the ranking for governance.

Seoul saw particularly low rankings for the environment category, due to issues concerning poor air quality as well as abnormal temperatures and weather patterns exacerbated by climate change.

“Since its transition to a democracy in the late 20th century, South Korea has had a politically stable history,” wrote Oxford Economics in its Global Cities Index report. “However, South Korea currently faces political turmoil following the martial law declaration and impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. How the political crisis is resolved from here, will determine the city’s future ranking in governance — which may have a ripple effect on other areas.”

Among other Asian cities, Tokyo ranked highest at ninth overall. The top three cities, as indicated by the index, included New York, London and Paris.