Almaty and Astana Included in the CIMI 2026 Global Cities Ranking
16.06.2026
IESE Business School (Spain) has published the 2026 edition of the IESE Cities in Motion Index (CIMI), an international ranking that assesses the level of sustainable and competitive urban development across the world.
The study covers 183 cities from 92 countries, including 85 national capitals. The CIMI is designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of urban sustainability, innovation, and balanced development, identify cities’ strengths and weaknesses, and highlight areas for improving competitiveness, urban quality of life, and the effectiveness of public policies. Cities are evaluated across nine dimensions: human capital, social cohesion, economy, governance, environment, mobility and transportation, urban planning, international outreach, and technology. The ranking is based on 115 indicators reflecting socio-economic development, quality of urban life, and governance performance. These indicators include economic activity, investment attractiveness, digitalization and e-services, educational attainment, transport infrastructure development, environmental conditions, international integration, and the implementation of smart city technologies.
According to the CIMI 2026 results, Almaty ranked 137th among 183 cities worldwide, while Astana placed 150th. Almaty achieved the highest ranking among Kazakhstan’s cities. This may be attributed to its strong economic potential, well-developed service sector, and higher level of international integration. In the ranking, Almaty outperformed several major cities of the post-Soviet region, including Baku (142nd place) and Novosibirsk (156th place). At the same time, the city’s position is constrained by environmental challenges and heavy transport congestion.
Astana demonstrated relatively strong performance in governance, digitalization, and modern urban planning. The development of digital services and new urban infrastructure continues to strengthen the capital’s position in international rankings. However, its lower overall ranking may be explained by a comparatively lower level of international integration and tourism attractiveness compared to the world’s leading metropolitan centers. The top three cities in the CIMI 2026 ranking are London, New York, and Paris. The top ten also includes Berlin, Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Seoul, and Beijing. These cities are characterized by high levels of economic development, advanced urban mobility, high-quality urban environments, technological advancement, and significant roles in the global economy. Table 1. Positions of Leading Global Cities and Kazakhstan’s Cities in the CIMI 2026 Ranking
Source: IESE Cities in Motion Index 2026
Overall, the CIMI 2026 results confirm the leading positions of cities with advanced economic, technological, and infrastructure development, as well as high-quality urban environments. At the same time, the ranking demonstrates that Kazakhstan’s largest cities are represented in international urban development assessments and continue to have significant potential for further improvements in urban environment quality, sustainable transport, environmental infrastructure, digitalization, and international competitiveness. Zhanerke Bazarbayeva Leading Expert Center for Regional Studies and Quality of Life
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