Thrissur Outshines Gujarat and Bengal Cities in Oxford Economics 2026 Global Cities Index

In the latest Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, which surveyed about 1,000 functional urban areas across 163 countries, Kerala’s cultural hub Thrissur has emerged as the state’s top‑performer. It landed at 477th place globally – a notch higher than many larger Indian metros and a tidy beat over cities in Gujarat and West Bengal.

What’s more, Thrissur isn’t just a lone survivor; it’s part of a seven‑city Kerala contingent that made it onto the list. Following it, Kochi secured the second‑best spot for the state at 489th, while Kozhikode came in at 499th. Interestingly, Kolkata – West Bengal’s flagship – sits snugly between the two at 496th.

On the national stage, Delhi still commands the top slot at 268th worldwide, with Bengaluru (311th), Mumbai (320th‑330th), Chennai (381st), Hyderabad (421st) and Pune (427th) rounding out the usual heavy‑hitters. Thrissur trails just behind this elite band, underscoring how quickly the city is gaining ground.

The index measures urban performance across five pillars: economics (30 % weight), human capital (25 %), quality of life (25 %), environment (10 %) and governance (10 %). In plain language, it looks at everything from per‑capita income and housing costs to life expectancy, cultural amenities, air quality and even exposure to natural disasters. Scores are first normalised on a 0‑100 scale before the weighted averages are tallied.

Across India, more than 90 cities feature in the ranking – second only to China in sheer numbers. Take Ahmedabad, for example: it ranks 15th within the country and 571st globally, buoyed by strong economics and human capital scores but held back by lower rankings in quality of life and environment. Other Gujarat entries include Surat (697th), Vadodara (702nd) and Rajkot (824th), each showing pockets of rapid productivity growth.

Looking beyond today, the report peeks into the future. By 2050, Asian megacities – especially in China and India – are projected to dominate global economic expansion. Cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Delhi are expected to surge in GDP and productivity, even though they currently sit outside the top 100.

For Thrissur, the news is more than just a ranking bump. It signals that the city’s blend of cultural vibrancy, emerging economic activity and improving livability is resonating on a global scale. If the trend holds, the “Cultural Capital of Kerala” could well be on its way to joining the ranks of world‑class urban centres.