The National Capital Region landed just outside the top 100 on a new list ranking cities from across the world. Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index ranked Ottawa-Gatineau 104th out of the world’s 1,000 largest cities. The annual index evaluates cities on economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. “Going beyond a simple ranking, the index provides a data-driven, forward-looking view of cities’ relative strengths, weaknesses and future potential,” Oxford Economics’ website reads. “It helps businesses, governments and investors understand how cities compare, where their opportunities and challenges lie and how their prospects are evolving.” The list was topped by New York, then London, then Paris. Among Canadian cities, Ottawa-Gatineau ranked fifth behind Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary. Ottawa-Gatineau ranked in the top 20 per cent globally for economics, human capital, quality of life and governance. Governance was Ottawa-Gatineau’s highest scoring category; however, Oxford Economics says the metric measures “political stability of a city and the degree to which residents’ rights are protected,” at a national level, rather than a city level, meaning all Canadian cities share the same governance score. Quality of life was Ottawa-Gatineau’s next-strongest category, ranking 139th overall. Ottawa-Gatineau placed 393rd for its lowest score, environment, which measures “the natural environment of each city on issues related to climate change.”
