TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta has secured the 53rd spot globally in the 100 World's Best Cities 2026 report, released by Brussels-based consulting firm Resonance Consultancy.
According to the report, the Indonesian metropolis outperformed Washington, D.C., which sat at 57th place, and Abu Dhabi, which ranked 86th.
Chris Fair, President & CEO of Resonance Consultancy, in an official statement in Jakarta on Saturday, June 20, attributed the city's success to its vibrant tourist attractions, strong social media presence, and improved public transit connectivity.
However, Jakarta still trails several other global peers, including Guangzhou, Bogota, and neighboring Kuala Lumpur, while London, New York, and Paris topped the rankings.
Fair noted that his firm recognizes Jakarta as the world's second most populous metropolitan area, one that continues to thrive despite facing significant hurdles, including land subsidence and the upcoming relocation of the country's capital.
"Yes, the capital city will indeed move to Nusantara; however, Jakarta's economic center of gravity will remain firmly in place," Fair explained, as reported by Antara.
He believes Jakarta's primary strength lies in its "lovability," or general city appeal, a category where the metropolis ranks 28th globally, far higher than its overall placement.
This appeal is largely driven by photogenic public spaces and revitalized cultural hubs, such as the historic Old Town (Kota Tua), upscale rooftop venues in SCBD, and the Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) waterfront.
A diverse lineup of festivals, entertainment venues, and family-oriented destinations also propelled the city into the global top 10 for both Shopping and Family-Friendly Attractions. Furthermore, Jakarta's massive digital footprint caught the analysts' attention, with the city ranking ninth globally for Instagram posts and eighth for TikTok videos.
"Jakarta's popularity on social media is exceptionally high, with the city ranking ninth in the world for Instagram hashtags and eighth for TikTok views," Fair added.
Beyond tourism and entertainment, Resonance highlighted that Jakarta's transportation network is undergoing continuous improvement. The Greater Jakarta LRT is becoming increasingly integrated with existing transit networks, while construction on Phase 2 of the Jakarta MRT extending toward Kota Tua progresses steadily.
The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link was also cited as a key asset that has streamlined travel between the international airport and the city center.
On the economic front, the report points out a robust influx of investment streaming into the Jakarta metropolitan area.
The rapid development of data centers along the Bekasi-Cikarang corridor to meet cloud computing and artificial intelligence demands, alongside new premium office high-rises in Sudirman, Thamrin, Kuningan, and TB Simatupang, are clear indicators of the city's enduring economic vitality.
The World's Best Cities 2026 ranking utilizes Resonance's proprietary Place Power Score methodology, which balances hard data on city performance with global public perception. The evaluation covers three main pillars: livability, lovability, and prosperity, which are carefully measured using 46 distinct metrics across 30 analytical categories.
This data was then benchmarked against an extensive Ipsos survey of more than 21,000 respondents across 31 countries, gauging which cities global citizens most desire to visit, live in, or work.
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