Singapore has vaulted to the position as the world’s fifth most internationally connected and influential city, according to Kearney in its latest Global Cities Outlook (GCI). This puts Singapore one notch higher this year from last year’s ranking at seventh.

The GCI measures the connectivity of cities in five key dimensions: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. These are all ranked against a detailed analysis of 31 metrics that help to paint a highly nuanced picture of each city’s global ranking.

Several factors have led to the rise of Singapore. Inductively, the boom in business activities is highly correlated with increased dynamism in the city economy. Singapore has also done relatively well on the human capital dimension, indicating its sound education system and well-endowed human resource. The city has nearly scored excellently on the ease of entry further making international business and tourism possible. Besides, Singapore possesses robust digital capabilities, thereby being connected to the entire world-to cut it short in line with changing demands for a digital economy.

Singapore, in the greater Asia-Pacific region, ranks alongside other major cities. Tokyo holds the fourth position while Beijing is at sixth place, Shanghai at eighth, and Hong Kong at ninth. Such regional representation clarifies the competitive landscape of influential cities in Asia.

The new metrics from the 2024 GCI reflect a continued assessment of changes in the global operating environment, including the new assessments of digital readiness and human mobility. These additions reflect the growing importance that technology and people movement play in forming a city’s connectivity and influence on the global stage.

The advancement in the rank of Singapore not only speaks for its being one of the international business centers but also motivates its continued pursuit of strategic measures to stay abreast with the rest of the world-be it digital innovation or human capital. Cities would continue to address the challenges of the changing world, and therefore, Singapore’s status as a global leader would endure as it continues to shape and improve international business as well as cultural exchanges.