toronto best cities

Toronto was ranked one of the world's best cities but its position is slipping fast

Toronto regularly ranks among the world's top-rated cities, and Canada's largest metropolis has once again registered on a list of the greatest places to live and work.

But the newly-released 2023 World's Best Cities Report from Resonance Consulting shows that the 6ix's position among the most-celebrated cities on the globe continues to slide, falling to the #24 spot in the new report for another consecutive year of decline on the world stage.

In short, Toronto is getting worse, and the world is noticing.

The decline to 24th place follows similar dips over the past couple of years. Toronto ranked 13th place in 2020, and slipped to 18th place the following year.

Though it has tumbled in the rankings yet again, the city's slide in rankings is nothing compared to the fall from grace of last year's #4 placement.

Moscow was considered a top-five city just over a year ago, but few could have predicted a new iron curtain would fall over the country in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, and the city has completely vanished from the top 25 list.

In a real "F-U" to Putin and co., the still-unconquered Kyiv has been given an honorary Best City title on this year's best-of roundup.

Cities are ranked based on 24 factors, which, unfortunately for Toronto, do not award points for things like overflowing trash cans, streets littered with animal corpses, and a housing bubble that tops all other locales considered.

However, the report cites many positive things about Toronto, like the cultural diversity offered by a population that is almost half foreign-born. It also recognized the city's educational standing "with its eponymous university, U of T, ranking #9 globally and its residents finishing #20 for the planet’s most educated."

"All that talent, about to increase drastically due to Canada's embrace of skilled immigrants, will supercharge an economy that already boasts the seventh-highest number of Global 500 head offices," says the report, adding that Toronto has climbed two spots in that list since last year.

The phenomenal growth projected for the city is another factor mentioned, citing a "projection by the University of Toronto that, in less than 50 years, it will trail only New York and Mexico City in North American population."

Culture was another key factor, and the report makes specific mention of the newly-reopened Massey Hall and its $184 million three-year renovation, brand-new hotels like the W at Yonge and Bloor, and other public amenities contributing to the city's #17 Culture ranking.

Lead photo by

wyliepoon


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Canada is seeing one of the worst standard-of-living declines in 40 years

Tributes pour in after death of Toronto City Councillor Jaye Robinson

It's going to get way easier to pay transit fare in Toronto with your phone

TTC literally just gave CEO Rick Leary an award days after chaotic subway shutdown

An aggressively spreading invasive species is completely taking over a Toronto park

50 tourist attractions in downtown Toronto you need to visit at least once

Stunning new lookout point overlooking Toronto wetland opens this summer

Stunning new Toronto transit station will link several TTC and GO lines