The world needs innovation. Without it, we wouldn’t have the technology for the latest smartphones, smart cars, or even modern medicine. Innovation makes space for creativity and encourages progress.
But where in the world is the best place to be for innovative and creative minds? We decided to take a look at the world cities that have the best markers for innovation, looking at their creativity, connectivity, education, wellbeing, and even employment opportunities.
Most Innovative City Overall
Paris is our number one innovative city, with some of the best ratings for creativity, connectivity, and education.
Best City for Employment
With over 179 job vacancies in tech and more than 23 job vacancies in media per 10,000 people, the US capital takes the top spot for employment. The city also has 1.62 coworking spaces per square mile.
Best City for Wellbeing
New Zealand is known for a relaxed way of life, so it’s no surprise that when it comes to general wellbeing, the island’s capital takes the top spot.
Most Connected City
With good internet speeds and low costs, Paris is the top city for connectivity. The city also accounts for a large share of the online city mentions. In fact nearly 5% of all online mentions of world cities are about the French capital.
Most Creative City
Paris is known for being an arty city so we’re not surprised that it ranks as the most creative city with more than four art galleries per square mile.
Best City for Education
Our top city for learning is Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. With 34 universities, there is access to nearly one university for every square mile.
Employment | Wellbeing | Connectivity | Creativity | Education | ||||||||||||||||||||
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We looked at a number of cities which we then reduced down to 50 of the top cities based on the data available.
Jobs in Tech and Media
These numbers were taken from each country’s Indeed site as we searched for jobs in ‘tech’ and jobs in ‘media’ for each city. These results were taken on 16/09/2020 but numbers are subject to change.
Coworking Spaces
These numbers were taken directly from Google Maps with the search term ‘coworking spaces in Paris’ etc.
Quality of Life Score
This score comes from the Numbeo Quality of Life Index which takes into account purchasing power, pollution, house prices, income, cost of living, safety, health care, traffic, and climate. A higher score indicates a better quality of life.
Peace Score
With a lower score indicating a more peaceful place, this score comes from the Institution of Economics & Peace’s Global Peace Index 2019.
WiFi Mbps
This comes from the Speedtest Global Index for fixed broadband, with a higher number indicating faster internet access.
Cost of Internet Connection
These costs are taken from Cable’s Worldwide Price Comparison.
Talked About Cities Score
These numbers come from ING’s study into digital visibility, ranking the world’s most talked-about cities. The numbers in our rankings indicate the share of total online mentions as a percentage.
Number of Art Galleries, Notable Architecture, and Science Museums
The number of these attractions were taken from Tripadvisor.