The Open For Business City Ratings present a guide to which cities are open, inclusive and competitive - and which are not.
What does it mean for a city to be inclusive and competitive? It means a number of things: to start with, it means a city is easy to operate in, with low barriers to setting up and running business; and it has a transparent system of governance with a low risk of corruption. It also has a strong digital infrastructure; it’s a hub for skills and talent and has a healthy “innovation ecosystem”. It has a good quality of life and a dynamic cultural environment. Finally, an inclusive and competitive city is globally connected and a welcoming place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people, who are often among the most marginalised communities around the world.
Why does the world need another ranking?
Although there is a wealth of data on the many different perspectives on city performance, this is the only one to provide a consolidated view of how inclusive and competitive a city is. Data in the report shows that LGBT+ inclusion is vital to a city’s economic competitiveness and cannot be forgotten. However, most competitiveness ratings do not consider inclusion in their methodologies.
Open For Business City Ratings 2022
The ratings for 144 cities around the world are presented below. Some of these cities are inclusive, open, and competitive – and some are not.
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Open For Business City Ratings 2020
The ratings for 144 cities around the world are presented below. Some of these cities are inclusive, open, and competitive – and some are not.
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You can find the City Ratings 2018 in our report Strengthening the Economic Case
How cities are rated
The Open For Business City Ratings are determined by a combination of 26 metrics from a number of well-respected sources. Each city receives a final score, which corresponds to a rating (AAA through E). In this report, we only include a city’s rating rather than its score in an effort to focus on which cities are broadly doing well and which have room for improvement. The final score is comprised of two categories: Economic Competitiveness and LGBT+ Inclusiveness. Both categories are comprised by a variety of sub-categories, which are in turn comprised of individual data points, listed below. Please see the Appendix of the report for a full explanation of data sources, weights and methodology.
I am proud that Amsterdam is the highest rated city in the Open For Business City Ratings 2020. One aspect that sets cities like Amsterdam apart from others is its dedication to providing a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for everyone, regardless of national origin, religion, sex, race, creed – or, indeed, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The evidence in this report shows that this dedication to inclusion goes hand-in-hand with economic resilience and competitiveness in cities around the world. I am looking forward to continuing to work to ensure that Amsterdam remains inclusive and competitive and is a place where all people can live and work freely and openly.
Femke Halsema, Mayor of Amsterdam