Moscow is the top city of the future in Eastern Europe

Moscow comes sixth among European cities in the FDI’s ranking of cities and regions of the future for 2018–2019. Experts assessed the economic potential, cost effectiveness, level of development of business environment and transport accessibility. In total, there were about 100 criteria, including the cities’ gross domestic product, life expectancy, the number of residents with higher education, road and railway infrastructure, access to rented office buildings and the internet and many others.

London has maintained the leading position in this ranking for many years, but the FDI experts believe that the situation may change radically because of Brexit. Dublin, which now occupies second place, might also change its rank. It is followed by Paris, Amsterdam and Munich, and then Moscow. The top ten also includes Frankfurt, Zurich, Cambridge and Helsinki.

Eastern European city of the future

The experts put Moscow in first place compared with other Eastern European cities. Moscow is followed by the capitals of Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. This means that, according to specialists, Moscow is the most attractive city for investment. Moscow holds fifth rank among all European capitals.

Human capital and living standards

In terms of quality of life, Moscow is second only to London. In the Russian capital, the social sphere and education are actively developing, transport accessibility is increasing and new opportunities for personal fulfilment are appearing. Moscow helps young specialists find their path and provides a comfortable life for senior people. The average lifespan has increased by three years since 2010. Today, it is more than 77 years, which is comparable with Paris or London.

Favourable conditions for business development

The experts recognised Moscow as the fifth most business-friendly European city. The innovative infrastructure includes about 1,500 facilities where entrepreneurs can open businesses or receive support, such as industrial parks, co-working, innovative enterprises, service centres for businesses and other organisations.

Economic potential

Moscow has room to grow: it rated sixth in terms of economic potential, coming after London, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki. Investment in Moscow grew by 70 percent in the last seven years.

The Financial Times Group’ FDI publishes rankings of cities and regions of the world in terms of their potential for development over the next two years. The 2018–2019 forecast was based on open sources and the FDI’s own estimates. It assessed 301 cities and 150 regions. Every category – economic potential, cost effectiveness, development of the business environment, transport accessibility and human capital – was divided into subcategories and scored between 0 and 10 points. The total score determined a city’s final place in the ranking.