Almaty and Astana have been recognized as the top cities in Central Asia, according to the 2025 Global Cities Index by Oxford Economics. On the global scale, the Kazakhstani metropolises outperformed Moscow. Meanwhile, New York was ranked number one in the world.
Specialists at Oxford Economics annually assess the world’s 1,000 largest cities using five criteria: economy, human capital, environment, governance and quality of life. Although the authors of the index admitted that evaluating cities’ challenges and prospects can be a complicated task due to structural differences of urban areas across regions, they maintain that the Global Cities Index highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each metropolis.
In the overall ranking, Almaty ranked 258th, while in the human capital category, Kazakhstan’s most populous city secured a solid 64th position.
Among Central Asian cities, Almaty performed the best, followed by Astana in 276th place. Russia’s capital fell behind, ranking 317th.
Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, also made the list — ranked 471st globally and placing third in the region. Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, came in 498th, making it fourth among Central Asian cities. Shymkent rounded out the region’s top five, sitting in 534th place.
