Doha shows a high jump in Cultural Experience in Kearney's Global Cities Index 2022

Doha gains strength as a key global city in Kearney’s annual Global Cities Report, owing to an increased focus on Cultural Experience. The capital city noted a 17-point jump in the category, along with bolstered positions in the business activity, human capital and political engagement categories of the report. The increase in rankings reflects the city's ongoing efforts to position itself as a global business and culture hub.

The host city of the FIFA World Cup holds a firm lead on sporting events in the MENA region, part of the Cultural Experience category. In addition, the country has also invested in several developments over the past decade, including museums and cultural sites that bring Islamic and Arab art and tradition to the fore.

The development of infrastructure to accommodate an estimated 2 million visitors during the FIFA World Cup including state-of-the-art stadiums, a modernised metro system and new urban districts has increased interest from investors and businesses looking to set roots in Qatar. The adoption of open economic policies and commitment towards diversifying the economy, such as the Public-Private partnership law that was issued in 2020, has improved the investment environment and resulted in an improved ranking on the Business Activity category.

The Global Cities Report also noted improvement on the Human Capital category in Doha. This is reflective of the state’s decades-long undertaking to develop a world-class educational system at par with the highest international standards as well as relative ease of access to global talent.

The capital city noted an increase in Political Engagement through the year, with a 6-point jump reflected through its consolidated effort in the category. The city has also established a firm lead in Political Conferences in the MENA region. As a part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar is working towards being an active and responsible member within the international community, contributing to international peace and security through political, economic, developmental and humanitarian initiatives.

The outlook for Doha has been overwhelmingly positive. The report suggests a 23-point jump bolstered by strong governance in the country. The capital city jumped 34 spots in the Economics Category owing to the city’s development of strong infrastructure and increased FDI inflow. The city also rose 13 places in Personal Well-being, a testament to accessible, high-quality healthcare and commitment to reducing its environmental impact.

Jad Elias, Partner and Qatar Office Lead, Kearney Middle East, commented, “As the first Arab state to host one of the world's greatest sporting spectacles, all eyes will be on Qatar. The key will be to sustain the momentum created by the World Cup. The city has already laid out the foundation to drive this next phase of its development journey with an increased focus on innovation, environmental sustainability, tourism amongst others - notwithstanding the major ongoing expansion of gas production capacity”

The Global Cities Index measures the performance of 156 cities around the world across our five dimensions, including business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. The two-part report, comprising of the Global Cities Index (GCI), a snapshot of the current status of the world’s leading urban areas, and the Global Cities Outlook (GCO), a forecast of their future possibilities, looks at the realities that have arisen in recent months.

Kearney is a global consulting partnership with more than 4,200 people working in more than 40 countries. They work with more than three-quarters of the world’s Fortune 500 companies as well as with governmental and non-profit organizations. The firm is guided by the principle of “essential rightness” and strives to make a difference for clients, people, and society, alike.

Currently in its 12^th edition, the Global Cities Report (GCR) is a flagship report that Kearney has been investing in since 2008.  It quantifies the progress of over 156 cities globally, accessing them on five different, but equally important dimensions: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement.

The Global Cities Outlook (GCO) builds on these insights and completes the GCI. While the GCI examines actual performance, the GCO examines how cities are creating the conditions for future status as major global players. Analysis is performed over four dimensions—personal well-being, economics, innovation, and governance—which are the key determinants of a city’s ability to attract talented human capital, generate economic growth, increase competitiveness, and ensure stability and security.

Over the years, it has become a reliable measure of a city’s performance by governments, corporates, and communities.

Commenting on the report, Elias adds, “The 2022 Global Cities Report comes at a time of extreme pressure for cities, which face intense economic challenges and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Last year’s report focused on the tentative recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, but we now have to contend with the harsh realities that have arisen in recent months—some of them related to COVID-19’s lingering presence, some not.”

These realities have included higher-than-expected inflation worldwide; a worse-than-anticipated slowdown in China; the ongoing economic and political reverberations of the conflict in Ukraine; and the escalating effects of climate change, manifesting in calamities such as extreme heat, historic droughts, and increasingly intense storm activity. Each one of these factors has potentially severe secondary effects.

To take one example, the economic effects of the conflict in Ukraine continue to reverberate around the world. Higher commodity prices, supply chain disruptions, and worsening consumer sentiment are likely to impair economies in several parts of the world, particularly Europe; the Caucasus and Central Asia; the Middle East and North Africa; and sub-Saharan Africa. Even beyond this already expansive map of potential deprivation and suffering, price increases for food and fuel will hurt lower-income households throughout the world, including in the Americas and Asia.

By their very nature, global cities—major metropolitan areas that are uniquely international in their connectivity and character—are especially vulnerable to such disruptions. Yet these cities are also vital to any aspirations for restored global and national prosperity. They are powerful engines of dynamism and innovation, and their health is an important barometer of present and future prospects—not only for city dwellers, but for all of us. While they are singular in their character and identity—distinct from the rural areas and smaller municipalities that surround them—these cities nonetheless serve as a microcosm of the dynamics that shape our world, from supply chains to immigration networks to trends in popular culture.

This appreciation of the irreplaceable role of urban centers is the impetus behind Kearney’s annual Global Cities Report, which was designed in conjunction with top academic and business advisors from around the world. One distinguishing feature of this report is the supplementation of the assessment of current metropolitan performance with an analysis of each city’s potential performance. This dual mission is reflected in the report structure. The first part, the GCI, is a snapshot of the current status of the world’s leading urban areas, while the GCO is a forecast of their future possibilities.

Report can be viewed at: https://www.kearney.com/global-cities/2022.