The top of the SCI ranking is dominated by European cities, with stellar performances from three Scandinavian capitals: Oslo (1), Stockholm (2) and Copenhagen (4). With the exception of a strong showing by Tokyo (3), the top 20 most sustainable cities in the world are all found in either Europe or
North America.
Planet
People
Profit
North America
Asia Pacific
Europe
Overall ranking (Top 20)
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Stockholm 2
Tokyo 3
Copenhagen 4
Berlin 5
London 6
Seattle 7
Paris 8
San Francisco 9
Amsterdam 10
Zurich 11
Rotterdam 12
Glasgow 13
Los Angeles 14
New York 15
Frankfurt 16
Vancouver 17
Edinburgh 18
Munich 19
Washington DC 20
Planet
People
Profit
100
75
50
25
1
1
Planet
17
People
39
Profit
Oslo 1
Glasgow 1
Zurich 2
Copenhagen 3
Seoul 4
Singapore 5
Vienna 6
Tokyo 7
Rotterdam 8
Madrid 9
Amsterdam 10
Oslo 1
Paris 2
Stockholm 3
Copenhagen 4
Berlin 5
London 6
Tokyo 7
Antwerp 8
Zurich 9
Rotterdam 10
Seattle 1
Atlanta 2
Boston 3
San Francisco 4
Pittsburgh 5
Tampa 6
Dallas 7
Chicago 8
Baltimore 9
Miami 10
Seattle 7
San Francisco 9
Los Angeles 14
New York 15
Washington DC 20
Oslo 1
Stockholm 2
Copenhagen 4
Berlin 5
London 6
Tokyo 3
Seoul 26
Sydney 33
Singapore 35
Macao 50
Overall rank
1
3
18
21
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
2
7
7
20
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
3
45
37
15
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
20
4
3
42
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
4
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
5
11
33
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
5
31
34
1
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
7
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
9
2
51
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
11
14
10
25
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
10
35
38
4
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
9
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
10
8
40
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
12
15
26
24
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
16
36
42
14
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
15
26
13
30
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
17
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
12
25
27
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
19
London
United Kingdom
London is an all-rounder, scoring well on all three pillars, with a particular strength in Planet. Out of the three pillars, its lowest rank is in Profit, where it still ranks a very healthy 23rd. London has particular strengths around the quality of its transport infrastructure and (to a slightly lesser extent) the sustainability of that transport infrastructure. It has an above average share of new EVs being registered there, but the quality of its EV charging infrastructure is average, suggesting this may be an area for future investment. London's share of renewables within the energy mix is relatively high (but not exceptional), so while the city is undoubtedly ahead of the curve, it still needs to invest in its energy transition. Overall, the UK performs poorly when it comes to energy efficiency and still has high energy consumption per capita.
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
London
Amsterdam
San Francisco
Sydney
Amsterdam is another all-rounder, scoring particularly well in both Planet and People, and with a decent score on Profit. The quality of its transport infrastructure is an obvious strength, and broadly speaking, the city’s transport infrastructure is quite sustainable. There is, however, room for more investment here. Unsurprisingly Amsterdam’s bicycle infrastructure is a particular strength. Compared to other cities Amsterdam has an average amount of CO2 emissions per capita and energy use per capita is slightly higher than the global average. The CO2 emissions performance is partly due to the low share of renewable energy in its mix so this is an area in need of urgent investment, especially relative to many of its central European peers, such as Zurich and Vienna.
Netherlands
Amsterdam
14
10
25
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
10
San Francisco is led by its Profit pillar strength, but also has robust scores across all three pillars. In terms of transport, San Francisco has a similar story to many other developed cities – a strong transport network that isn’t particularly unsustainable but requires investment to make it truly sustainable. It does have a relatively strong shared bicycle infrastructure and a larger ride sharing fleet (relative to the population) than any other city in the index. San Francisco is above average in terms of its CO2 emissions and energy usage, but like a lot of US cities, it requires urgent investment in energy transition to bring its share of renewable power much more in line with the city’s sustainability aims.
United States of America
San Francisco
35
38
4
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
9
Sydney sits in the top third of the SCI, led by a particularly strong performance on the People pillar, and a well-balanced performance across the other two pillars. Ecommerce and overall connectivity are strengths here but there are some key opportunities for improvement in sustainable transport. Sydney performs better that most US cities but needs significant investment to bring its transport infrastructure on par with most Northern and Western European cities. The greatest opportunity here for Sydney is undoubtedly around its EV infrastructure, where it is among the lowest ranked cities in the world, both in terms or new registrations and charging infrastructure. Energy use and CO2 emissions are both lower than average in Sydney, but its share of renewables is also relatively low: a missed opportunity, especially given the abundant amount of sunlight that shines upon the city.
Australia
Sydney
42
15
46
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
33
31
34
1
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
7
35
38
4
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
9
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
36
42
14
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
15
45
37
15
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
20
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
3
18
21
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
2
4
3
42
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
4
5
11
33
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
5
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
41
52
22
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
50
42
15
46
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
33
43
4
44
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
26
7
7
20
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
3
69
5
28
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
35
Overall
Hover over the city name to show more information
United Kingdom
Netherlands
United States of America
Australia
31
34
1
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
7
80
72
2
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
53
54
54
3
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
22
35
38
4
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
9
76
51
5
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
43
51
53
6
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
30
63
55
7
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
39
67
70
8
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
52
79
68
9
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
56
87
46
10
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
45
10
8
40
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
12
9
2
51
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
11
8
23
67
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
27
7
7
20
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
3
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
5
11
33
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
5
4
3
42
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
4
3
18
21
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
2
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
14
10
25
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
10
38
9
48
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
28
10
8
40
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
12
7
7
20
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
3
23
6
56
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
23
69
5
28
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
35
43
4
44
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
26
4
3
42
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
4
9
2
51
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
11
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
The Sustainable Cities Index 2022
People Ranking
The Sustainable Cities Index 2022
Planet Ranking
The Sustainable Cities Index 2022
Profit Ranking
City Spotlights
The Planet pillar assesses the quality of the natural environment in a city. European cities monopolize this Planet pillar. With the exception of Tokyo, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Bogota, the entire top 20 is comprised
of cities in Europe.
The People pillar measures the quality of social infrastructure in a city. Europe is the clear leader across this pillar, with Western European cities occupying 15 of the top 20 spots. Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo all rank
in the top 10.
The Profit pillar measures the quality of the economy in a city. US cities are, by far, the strongest performers on this pillar, though most of these cities have relatively low scores for Planet and People.
25 cities in Asia in the overall index, Tokyo has the highest rank at number 3. Only four other cities in Asia made it into the top half
of the overall index. The East Asian cities of Seoul and Singapore stand out for their high scores on the People pillar.
US cities dominate the Profit pillar but, on the whole, did not perform well across the Planet and People pillars, which dragged down their overall ranking. Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. made it into the top 20
of the overall index.
European cities are the clear leaders on the Planet and People pillars. As a result, more than half of the top 50 cities in the overall index are in Europe. The Scandinavian capitals of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen had particularly strong showings.
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
45
37
15
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
20
12
25
27
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
19
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
26
13
30
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
17
15
26
24
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
16
36
42
14
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
15
16
40
19
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
14
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
10
8
40
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
12
9
2
51
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
11
14
10
25
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
10
35
38
4
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
9
2
43
31
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
8
31
34
1
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
7
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
5
11
33
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
5
4
3
42
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
4
7
7
20
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
3
3
18
21
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
2
1
17
39
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
1
14
10
25
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
10