Manchester ranks among world’s best 100 cities

Manchester has ranked among the best 100 cities in the world, according to a new report.

According to the annual rankings compiled by consultancy firm Resonance, Manchester is the 72nd best county in the world and one of just five UK cities to make the list.

Liverpool tailed closely behind in 74th, followed by Birmingham in 85th and Leeds in 88th. London, however, took the top spot and was named the world’s best city, according to the rankings.

The report was compiled using three broad categories – liveability, loveability and prosperity. These are then broken down into further subcategories, including rankings for things like biking, higher education and airport connectivity (liveability); culture, nightlight and restaurants (loveability); GDP per capita, labour force participation and poverty rate (prosperity). These are compiled using ‘core statistics’ as well as recommendations and information from websites like Tripadvisor, Google, Facebook and Instagram.

What does the report say about Manchester?

While Manchester ranked 72nd overall, in the category breakdowns, Manchester ranked 56th for liveability, 76th for lovability and 88th for prosperity.

The report recognisesManchester’s industrial past. It said: “Manchester’s reputation as the engine of English industry drives a global curiosity in the storied city (and its worker-bee icon is a must-buy souvenir). Castlefield, an ‘Urban Heritage Park,’ is one portal into history: the city’s canal, favored by tourists today, once transported coal into the city’s industrial hub. More urban reuse is planned.”

It also highlights the fact that Manchester ranked 32nd in the nightlife subcategory and 33rd in the university rankings subcategory.

Of the city’s higher education institutions in particular, it said: “The University of Manchester is among the highest ranked in Europe (and #33 globally in our rankings), which more than justifies its UNESCO City of Literature designation. The university is home to a dazzling legacy of 25 Nobel laureates, with several still on staff.”

Finally, it highlights some of the major cultural attractions the city has to offer, both old and new.

The report adds: “Manchester’s conversion from producing goods to ideas is well underway, and the history of the workers who made that possible is on grand display at the People’s History Museum.

“The city’s middling Museums ranking is supercharged with this year’s £15-million transformation that adds a two-story extension, a new exhibition hall, the Belonging Gallery, the South Asia Gallery and the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery to the Manchester Museum. Also new is Factory International, a flagship cultural center with exhibits by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. No wonder Manchester is in the Top 50 globally for Tripadvisor Reviews.”