After being led by a new governor this year, Jakarta at the age of 488 wants to establish itself as a "Global and Cultured City". The optimism of holding the title of a global city is in line with a long historical journey and the spirit of innovation and collaboration between the government and citizens in facing various changes.
A global city is a city that has always attracted the world economy. Global cities have a high degree of connectivity and influence globally.
The results of the 2025Global Cities Index (GCI) measurement conducted by Kearney Foresight reveal a cityscape that is both sustainable and transforming. New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore retain their top five positions from last year's GCI. These five cities underscore the resilience of established global cities. Jakarta ranked 71st, up three places from last year.
The 2025 Global Cities Index evaluates the connectivity and global character of 158 of the world's leading cities based on five dimensions: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. There are 31 indicators that capture the dynamism and reach of urban centers. It also measures a city's ability to attract, retain and generate the global movement of people, capital and ideas.
Among ASEAN countries, Jakarta is still far behind Singapore (ranked 5th), Bangkok (33rd) and Kuala Lumpur (55th). Singapore is an example of an Asian city that has made a big leap, especially in the dimension of human resources. In addition to building infrastructure, the Kearney report said Singapore continues to position itself as a leading international education center by advancing a lifelong learning system and global talent partnerships.
Singapore is also actively developing the concept of smart cities and passing it on to other Southeast Asian countries. Singapore also continues to innovate in areas such as healthcare financing and housing renovation. Singapore demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusive growth and intergenerational cohesion.
In addition, Singapore's proactive approach to upgrading its digital infrastructure positions it as a model of future-ready urban development in an era of rapid global change.
In addition to assessing a city's current performance through the Global Cities Index, the Kearney report also projects the potential performance of cities in the future through the Global Cities Outlook (GCO). Based on the GCO results, the winning cities in the era ofArtificial Intelligence (AI) are those that can sharpen their competitive edge by integrating AI as an accelerator in all fields, whether in financial services, logistics, culture, or technology.
Success depends on how city leaders align infrastructure, environment, and human resources. It also includes how the city's human resources can utilize the potential of AI while reducing its negative impacts.
