Rano grateful as Jakarta ranks 53rd in World's Best Cities

Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno expressed gratitude and optimism about the city’s development after Jakarta secured a place among the world’s 53 best cities, even surpassing several major global cities such as Washington DC. “I am very grateful, I received the news from the Governor. Jakarta is ranked the 53rd best city. Even Washington DC reportedly lost out. This serves as a spur and motivation for us,” Rano said on the sidelines of a Bung Karno event in Jakarta on Saturday. According to him, one of the main factors boosting Jakarta’s position on the international stage is the intensity of various collaborative events and activities. With this latest achievement, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is optimistic that Jakarta’s Global Cities Index ranking will experience a significant leap from its previous position. “If previously our global index was at 71st, with this achievement I am very confident Jakarta’s global city index will soon jump, perhaps to around 65th. Hopefully that is not an unrealistic target and God willing it can be achieved,” Rano said. DKI Jakarta successfully ranked 53rd in the world in the 2026 World’s Best Cities list released by Brussels-based consultancy Resonance Consultancy. According to the report, Jakarta even placed above Washington DC, United States, which sits at 57th, while Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates is at 86th. Resonance Consultancy President & CEO Chris Fair said in an official statement in Jakarta on Saturday that Jakarta’s success is due to its tourism appeal, social media popularity, and improved transport connectivity. Nevertheless, Jakarta still trails several other cities such as Guangzhou, China, Bogota, Colombia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Meanwhile, the top spots are held by London, New York, and Paris. Chris noted that his firm assesses Jakarta as the world’s second most populous metropolitan area, which continues to grow despite facing various challenges, including land subsidence issues and the relocation of the national capital to Nusantara.