The research hailed Singapore’s dynamic retail and eating scenes, its plans for sustainable residing and excessive gross home product per capita, amongst different components. FILE PHOTO/The Straits Instances/Asia Information Community
SINGAPORE — Singapore has been named the highest metropolis within the Asia-Pacific area, based mostly on the place individuals would most prefer to stay and go to, and the place they consider they’ll discover the most effective job alternatives, in accordance with a brand new research.
The inaugural 2025 Asia-Pacific Greatest Cities report ranked over 140 cities within the area in three classes – livability, lovability and prosperity.
Tokyo got here in second and Seoul, third. Different cities within the high 10 embody Hong Kong (4th), Bangkok (sixth) and Sydney (seventh).
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China had 33 cities within the high 100, probably the most of any nation, with Beijing (fifth) and Shanghai (eighth) ending within the high 10.
Over 7,000 respondents from 9 Asia-Pacific international locations have been surveyed for the research.
Research
Data akin to price-to-income ratio and tree cowl, in addition to user-generated knowledge like Tripadvisor rankings and Google Developments statistics was additionally considered. Worth-to-income ratio is the ratio of a metropolis’s median house worth to its median family disposable revenue.
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The research was unveiled on Feb 12 at a lecture organized by the Singapore-based Centre for Habitable Cities (CLC) titled What Makes Cities Habitable and Loveable. International enterprise consulting agency Resonance partnered market analysis agency Ipsos to supply the research.
CLC government director Hugh Lim advised The Straits Instances the report will likely be a helpful useful resource for the centre to not solely mirror on Singapore’s improvement, but additionally study from what different cities have carried out. That is to be able to proceed making Singapore an incredible place to stay in.
Mr Lim added: “We’re honored that Singapore has been ranked on the high of this new report, alongside different Asian cities broadly acknowledged for his or her exemplary city achievements.”
Resonance additionally produces the annual World’s Greatest Cities rankings, through which Singapore got here in fifth for the 2025 version.
Least corrupt nation
The Republic was additionally lately rated the least corrupt nation within the Asia-Pacific area in anti-graft watchdog Transparency Worldwide’s Corruption Notion Index.
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In January, Singapore was topped the world’s most revolutionary nation, after it topped the International Innovation Scorecard, which ranks nations based mostly on wide-ranging indicators akin to workforce schooling stage and new enterprise creation charge.
The Resonance-Ipsos Asia-Pacific report hailed Singapore’s dynamic retail and eating scenes, its plans for sustainable residing and excessive gross home product per capita, amongst different components.
Mr Chris Truthful, president and chief government of Resonance, stated greater than 30 per cent of respondents named Singapore one of many high three Asia-Pacific cities that they want to stay in, go to and the place they consider the most effective job alternatives are discovered.
He added that Singapore was town most often cited by respondents throughout all three classes, and by a really broad margin.
This exhibits Singapore has a really sturdy model amongst individuals within the area, stated Mr Truthful.
Singapore positioned first within the “prosperity” class, which used metrics such because the variety of Fortune International 500 corporations headquartered within the metropolis and its unemployment charge.
Livability
In each the “livability” and “lovability” classes, it was ranked second after Tokyo.
Mr Truthful famous that Singapore was twenty eighth in accordance with the research’s efficiency metrics for “livability”, however got here first within the perception-based knowledge for a similar class, thereby pushing it as much as second on the livability entrance.
He stated the problem for Singapore now lies in accommodating the pressures that will come up from being probably the most fascinating Asia-Pacific metropolis to stay, go to and work in, and in sustaining its success.
The report additionally highlighted Singapore’s dedication to greenery, with 40 % of its land devoted to inexperienced areas.
It additional famous Singapore’s exploration of latest sustainable residing strategies, together with plans for extra inexperienced areas, sensible city districts and developments that promote work, schooling and leisure, such because the Park Connector Community.
Mr Truthful advised ST that whereas each the worldwide and Asia-Pacific reviews used lots of the similar metrics, some from the worldwide report weren’t employed within the Asia-Pacific research, as they weren’t obtainable for all cities within the area. As an illustration, how bike-friendly a metropolis’s streets are – a brand new metric used within the 2025 international research – was not included within the Asia-Pacific report.
International report
Within the 2025 international report, London clinched the highest place for the tenth consecutive yr, forward of New York (2nd), Paris (third) and Tokyo (4th).
When requested why Singapore beat Tokyo to high spot within the Asia-Pacific report regardless of being ranked a spot behind the Japanese metropolis within the international research, Mr Truthful stated the worldwide research surveyed respondents from 30 international locations the world over, whereas respondents for the Asia-Pacific research got here from 9 international locations within the area.
“So this exhibits us how the notion of locations adjustments relying on whether or not you’re taking a look at it on a regional foundation or on a worldwide foundation. I’d suspect over time, if Singapore is so sturdy on a regional foundation, it can in all probability overtake Tokyo on a worldwide foundation ultimately.”
At a panel dialogue throughout the lecture on Feb 12, restaurateur and entrepreneur Sebastian Ang spoke of the necessity for hybrid areas that supply distinctive cultural and social experiences.
He cited his Chinese language restaurant and bar Synthesis in Suntec Metropolis, which labored with conventional Chinese language drugs consultants to create a wellness-themed menu, and supply pulse and tongue readings to clients.
“(Prospects) beloved it… and we see a rise in millennials and Gen Zs paying extra consideration to wellness differently,” famous Mr Ang. “So I really feel that for cities to stay engaging and aggressive, now we have to adapt to those altering city experiences.”
He was joined on the panel by Mr Truthful; Ms Theresa Sheils, co-regional managing principal at international structure agency Gensler; Mr Anupam Yog, managing companion at expertise design group XDG Labs; and Dr Limin Hee, CLC’s analysis director. The session was moderated by Lekker Architects director Ong Ker-Shing.
On the Feb 12 occasion, CLC signed an settlement with WRLDCTY, an annual international discussion board for city innovation organized by Resonance, to trade data and collaborate on creating extra habitable, lovable and sustainable cities.
As a part of the settlement, WRLDCTY will maintain its international convention in Singapore for the primary time as a part of CLC’s World Cities Summit in June 2026.
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