Kerala's Thrissur beats Gujarat, Bengal cities in Oxford Economics 2026 index; ranks 477th globally

Thrissur has emerged as the highest-ranked city in Kerala in the latest Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, which evaluated 1,000 functional urban areas across 163 countries. Securing seventh place nationally, it leads a group of seven urban centres from the state featured in the report. The full list of Kerala locations includes Thrissur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, and Kannur.

Thrissur emerged as the highest-performing urban centre in Kerala, securing 477th position globally. Kochi secured the second-highest position in the state at 489th globally, followed closely by Kozhikode at 499th. West Bengal’s Kolkata, which ranked 496th globally, sits between these two Kerala cities. Further down the table, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram occupied 623rd and 624th positions respectively. Kottayam stood at 696th place globally, while Kannur rounded off the state's representation at 772nd position.

Across India, Delhi holds the top national spot at 268th globally, followed by Bengaluru at 311th and Mumbai at 320th and 330th positions in report listings. Chennai ranks 381st, Hyderabad 421st, and Pune 427th, leaving Thrissur immediately behind these six major metropolitan hubs. 

How global cities are measured

The index assesses urban performance across five core parameters: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance. Economics carries the highest weight at 30 per cent, while human capital and quality of life each account for 25 per cent. Environment and governance make up the remaining 10 per cent each. Specific metrics cover income equality, per capita income, housing costs, life expectancy, crime levels, cultural amenities, air quality, emissions, and climate risks. Environmental performance also measures exposure to natural disasters, alongside rainfall and temperature anomalies. Indicators are first normalised on a scale from zero to 100 before category scores are aggregated using prescribed weightings. Because governance is evaluated at the national level, all Indian cities receive equal scores for factors such as political stability, institutional quality, business environment, and civil liberties.

Performance across other Indian urban centres

India features more than 90 cities in the index, a figure exceeded globally only by China. Among other prominent Indian locations, Ahmedabad ranks 15th nationally and 571st overall. Although Ahmedabad performed strongly in economics at 379th and human capital at 347th, its overall rank fell due to lower positions in quality of life at 881st, environment at 795th, and governance at 415th. Other Gujarat cities included in the study are Surat at 697th, Vadodara at 702nd, and Rajkot at 824th. Both Ahmedabad and Surat were highlighted as emerging standouts, outperforming national averages through rapid productivity gains and higher per capita incomes. 

Global standings and future economic growth

At the global level, New York retained top position for the second consecutive year, followed by London in second place and Paris in third. Looking ahead to 2050, major Asian cities are projected to dominate global economic expansion. Chinese and Indian urban centres, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Delhi, are anticipated to drive substantial increases in GDP and productivity despite currently ranking outside the global top 100. Furthermore, several Indian cities are expected to lead expansion in financial and business services, with Bengaluru developing into a key global technology hub.