Calgary slips further down list of top largest cities in the world
A new global ranking of the world’s largest cities is out, and Calgary has slipped down quite a few spots from previous years.
The Oxford Economic Global Cities Index 2026 report was recently released, ranking 1,000 of the largest cities around the globe based on economic, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.
In 2025, Calgary ranked 61st on the list, after coming in 50th the year before. This year, the city slipped further down the rankings, landing in 69th place overall.
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For the 2026 report, Calgary came in with an overall score of 74.9. The city scored a 61.7 for economics, 74 for human capital, 790.4 for quality of life, 61.2 for environment, and 90 for governance.
New York and London remain at the top of the Index for 2026, largely due to the size of their economies and the strength of their labour market. The upper reaches of the index were dominated by cities in Europe and North America, taking 78 of the first 100 spots in the rankings.
Only three other Canadian cities made the top 100. Toronto was the highest-ranked city in Canada, in 20th place. Vancouver came in 24th place, followed by Montreal in 62nd.
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Oxford Economic Global Cities Index 2026
Edmonton was the only other Alberta city included in the ranking, landing in 125th place with an overall score of 68; however, new for this year’s report was the Cities to Watch section highlighting the top places in each region that experts believe are generating significant steam and likely to climb the rankings in the coming years, and Edmonton made the cut.
You can find the full ranking online.
This isn’t the first time Calgary has gained some global recognition. Earlier this year, it was named among the best cities in the world for Gen Z to move to. It also made the top 100 in a ranking of the happiest cities in the world and was named as the best city to “work and play” in Canada.
With files from Laine Mitchell