Management consultant Kearney’s Global Cities Report showed on Monday a significant improvement in the performance of Saudi cities on the international stage, underlining the rapid pace of transformation the Kingdom is witnessing under Vision 2030.
The report, based on the Global Cities Index (GCI) and Global Cities Outlook (GCO), highlighted the significant progress in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah and Dammam, thanks to sustained investment in infrastructure, innovation, and livability.
GCI measures 158 cities across key dimensions like business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement, ultimately evaluating a city’s ability to attract, retain, and generate global flows of people, capital, and ideas.
Foreign Direct Investment Inflows
The Index found that Riyadh advanced eight places to 56th, and posted strong gains in personal well-being and continues to lead in Foreign Direct Investment inflows, reinforcing its role as the leading national magnet for global investment.
Jeddah achieved a 1-rank increase and is placed 83rd worldwide, benefiting from its growing commercial and cultural activity, and its rising role as a commercial and entrepreneurship hub.
Meanwhile, other Saudi cities such as Makkah, Madinah and Dammam significantly improved their rankings—reflecting the success of efforts to diversify development beyond the capital, the report showed.
Along the Index, GCO offers a forward-looking assessment, evaluating how effectively the world's leading metros are creating conditions for future success. It seeks to measure future potential across four dimensions: personal well-being, economics, innovation, and governance.
At this level, Riyadh, up eight places in the ranks, continues to lead the kingdom’s modernization efforts.
Jeddah's ranking jumped 39 places to reach 61, according to Kearney’s report. This improvement is a result of the city's performance in the report's analysis of socio-economic and political developments.
Balanced Regional Development
The report said each Saudi city is advancing in distinct ways.
Riyadh posted strong gains in personal well-being and continues to lead in FDI inflows, reinforcing its role as the leading national magnet for global investment.
Meanwhile, other Saudi cities such as Makkah (+40), Madinah (+41), and Dammam (+28) significantly improved their rankings—reflecting the success of efforts to diversify development beyond the capital.
The results also confirm that Saudi cities are making progress in transforming Vision 2030 targets into urban achievements, and are reshaping regional and global competitiveness through a strategy of diversification, innovation, and sustainability.
Rudolph Lohmeyer, a partner based in the Middle East, where he leads Kearney’s National Transformations Institute (NTI) and the International Affairs platform of the Government and Economic Development Practice, stated that Saudi cities' improved rankings in the GCI and GCO, demonstrate the success of investments in the Kingdom’s infrastructure, talent, and innovation.
