Shanghai leaps to 8th Place, says newly released 2024 Global Cities Index Report

(ECNS) -- Chinese cities have risen rapidly in global rankings, with Shanghai to eighth place in the newly released 2024 Global Cities Index (GCI) by Kearney, a leading global management consulting firm.

According to the report, Shanghai entered the top 10 for the first time, largely due to the inclusion of new metrics for information exchange. The city ranked second globally for internet speed and eighth for data center presence, demonstrating its ability to support a wide range of tech enterprises.

Of the 31 Chinese cities listed, almost all saw improvements in the rankings. Nearly 70 percent of the cities rose by 5 or more places, inlcuding Shanghai, Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Nanjing (Jiangsu Province), Wuhan (Hubei Province), and Tianjin. Nearly 30 percent of the cities leaped by 10 or more places, including Chongqing, Qingdao (Shandong Province), Zhengzhou (Henan Province) and Dongguan (Guangdong Province).

Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, which have occupied three of the global top 10 cities, represent China's most important three urban agglomerations, said Zhou Pengyuan, a Kearney’s partner.

Chinese cities continue to improve their competitiveness on the global stage and are expected to maintain this growth momentum going forwards, Zhou added.

The 2024 GCI introduced new metrics for data centers and internet speed metrics, areas where Chinese cities excel. This reflects Chinese cities’ competitiveness in the digital economy and digital infrastructure, Zhou noted.