Kazakhstan’s city of Almaty becomes the best city in Central Asia!

The new ranking of the world’s best cities has been presented by the Global Cities Index 2025, and one of Kazakhstan’s largest cities, Almaty, surprised many by taking first place among cities in the Central Asian region. This ranking is based on the evaluation of cities’ economic potential, human capital, quality of life, environmental condition, and quality of governance, and it includes the world’s 1,000 most developed and promising cities.

In the ranking, Almaty placed 258th overall and thereby took the top position not only in its country but also across the Central Asian region. Especially in the category of human capital, Almaty ranked 64th, confirming its status as the intellectual hub of the region due to high indicators in education and science. This ranking indicates that the universities and scientific centers in the city are developing in accordance with international standards.

In the ranking of Central Asian cities, another major city of Kazakhstan, Astana (Nur-Sultan), took 276th place and ranked second, while Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, ranked third in the regional rating, taking 471st place overall. Tashkent ranked 558th in economic development, 123rd in human capital, 565th in quality of life, 872nd in ecology, and 840th in governance. These figures show that there are many prospective opportunities for Tashkent and paths to achieve even higher results in the future.

Additionally, other cities in Central Asia also took positions in the international ranking. Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, was ranked 498th, Shymkent, Kazakhstan — 534th. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, took 623rd place, while Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, was placed at 683rd.

In the global ranking of the world’s best cities, New York City (USA) took first place. New York leads globally with its economic power, reputation as a financial center, and high standard of living. The top three also included London (United Kingdom) and Paris (France), once again confirming their role as global economic and cultural centers.

American cities performed strongly in the rankings, with San Jose, Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco placing in the top ten. From Australia, Melbourne and Sydney were recorded in high positions as some of the best cities in the world. Additionally, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, also secured a place in the upper part of the ranking.

This ranking plays an important role in determining development, and future priorities for investors and tourists. This year’s success of Almaty is undoubtedly a significant event for the Central Asian region and can create a positive competitive environment for cities in neighboring countries. As a result, cities in the region are expected to demonstrate even higher results in terms of quality of life, economic growth, and human capital in the future.

Certainly, this ranking will serve as an incentive for cities in Central Asia, especially Tashkent, to take important steps in implementing new plans and improving convenience for the population. The Tashkent city administration may accelerate changes in ecology, infrastructure, and governance to improve its position in this ranking.

Almaty’s ranking this year will undoubtedly strengthen the efforts of neighboring cities to achieve higher results in the future. The competition in this area within the region may lead to the creation of an even more comfortable and higher quality living environment for the population.

Almaty’s achievement in this year’s ranking provides an opportunity to look with greater confidence at the future of Central Asian cities. Which cities will appear at higher positions in the region’s next ranking has become one of the intriguing topics for the population.