Singapore tops global ranking for online presence

It ranked sixth in AT Kearney’s Global Cities Index 2017.

This year's A.T. Kearney’s Global Cities Index 2017 saw Singapore jumping two spots to rank sixth, the highest ever ranking it has achieved in the Index.

This is due to Singapore topping the global ranking for online presence which is used to measure a city’s information exchange level - access to information via the internet and other media sources.

The Global Cities Index, launched in 2008, ranks cities based on current performance on metrics across five critical dimensions: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and political engagement. It provides insights into the current global reach, performance and level of development of the world’s largest cities, allowing for the identification of their core strengths and distinctive differences.

Singapore also rose six places to rank 11th in A.T Kearney’s Global Cities Outlook, which ranks cities in terms of their future potential.

Soon Ghee Chua, partner and Southeast Asia head at A.T. Kearney, said Singapore took the joint top spot for governance, which is used to measure long-term stability of a city through transparency, quality of bureaucracy and ease of doing business.

"In today’s day and age, economic development by itself is no longer sufficient for a city to be a global hotspot. Cities are now measured on whether economic development is making lives better for residents. On that front, Singapore is a clear global leader. Its business-friendly environment, a world-class education system and digital connectivity have helped companies and individuals thrive, turning it into a leading global hub,” he added.