CityUHK releases "Future City Index 2025"

Hong Kong ranked as top ten Leading Future Cities, strengthening role as International Talent Hub

HONG KONG, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) (19 May) launched the "Future City Index 2025" (CityUHK FCI), the world's first city-level benchmarked report assessing the long-term development capabilities of 100 global cities across education, technology, talents, and finance. Based on an analysis of key indicators, the CityUHK FCI ranks Hong Kong among the world's top ten "Leading Future Cities", and identifies its top ten positions in "Talent Hub", "Connection Hub", "Resilience", and "Future-positioning". These results underscore Hong Kong's competitiveness and strategic value on the global innovation stage.

The launch of CityUHK FCI was officiated by Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, CityUHK Council Chairman; and Professor Lee Chun-sing, CityUHK Acting President. Mr Peter Yan King-shun, Director-General of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises of the Government of the HKSAR, and the Honourable Mr Dennis Leung Tsz-wing, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, also attended.

In his speech, Mr Sun remarked, "Hong Kong enjoys the strong support of the Motherland while staying closely connected to the world. As the country embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong will further its role as the 'Super Connector' and 'Super value-adder'. By partnering with universities to reinforce its role as a global talent hub, the city is committed to attracting top-tier professionals from the Chinese Mainland and overseas, building a world-class talent pool, and bolstering its development as an International Hub for High-calibre Talents. The CityUHK FCI offers global insights and a visionary outlook for Hong Kong's growth. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the city's competitiveness and reinforcing its strategic status as a vital link between the Chinese Mainland and the international innovation and start-up ecosystems."

In his welcome remarks, Professor Ngai stated that CityUHK fully supports the Government of the HKSAR to promote integrated development of education, technology, talents, and finance, and is committed to enhancing the "Study in Hong Kong" brand for retaining global talent.

"The Index offers a forward-looking benchmark for policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and public institutions. It provides strategic direction for collaboration among government, industry, academia, research, and investment, as well as nurtures and attracts world-class talent. The Index will further shape the city's talent pipelines, linking international capital with technology resources, attracting leading deep-tech enterprises, and driving knowledge into real-world applications," he said.

Professor Lee, in his vote of thanks, remarked, "CityUHK has yielded fruitful results through HK Tech 300 and the CityUHK Academy of Innovation (CAI). Together with the newly released FCI - an effective tool that utilises big data to assess a city's long-term development and capabilities - it reaffirms our commitment to nurturing more deep-tech talent and start-ups."

The CityUHK FCI, compiled and published by the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CAI, evaluates 100 cities worldwide, across 39 indicators. The report delivers data-driven insights into six strategic dimensions, including talent hub, knowledge production, technological innovation, future-positioning, global connectivity, and urban resilience.

This inaugural report reveals the world's top ten "Leading Future Cities" are Beijing, Boston, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore^[1]. Notably, only five cities – Beijing, Hong Kong, London, New York and Paris^[1] – rank within the top ten across all four categories of "Talent Hub", "Connection Hub", "Resilience", and "Future-Positioning", underscoring their pivotal position in global talent competitiveness.

Among the five cities, Hong Kong stands out in attracting, nurturing and retaining innovative talent, and records the highest score in international collaboration among major bay areas.

Hong Kong has demonstrated strong resilience and adaptability amid the global challenges posed by the pandemic. Over the past decade, the city has achieved significant growth in the number of top researchers, research outputs, R&D investment, and high‑tech enterprises. In the past five years, talent inflow exceeded 25,000; furthermore, there has been a 3.7-fold increase over the last ten years in the number of top researchers in emerging areas (including AI, biotech, fintech, and semiconductors). This growth underscores Hong Kong's role as an international talent hub, connecting global resources and capital, and serving as a vital link between the Chinese Mainland and the wider ecosystems.

Professor Vincent Wang Xiaohui, Director of the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CAI, noted that local universities are dedicated to nurturing tech talent. Leveraging the Chinese Mainland's extensive high‑end talent pool together with Hong Kong's strengths in global connectivity and adaptability, it will further advance the policy of "Bringing in and Going Global," positioning Hong Kong as a strategic gateway for talent and enterprises to expand overseas.

The Index is presented by CityUHK, with support from the Clarivate, and the International Organisation for Migration at UN Migration. Please refer here for further details of the report.

^[1] According to alphabetical order of the city names.

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Email: wkchin@cityu.edu.hk 

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source: City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)