Hong Kong Pulls Ahead of Singapore as Asia’s Most International City

• Hong Kong ranked first in the Asian Cities Internationality Index with 74.6 points.

• Its lead over Singapore widened sharply from 0.2 to 2 points.

• The city performed strongly in business, economy, innovation and talent attraction.

• Tech investment and cultural interaction remain key areas for improvement.

• Experts say safety, finance and cultural venues strengthen Hong Kong’s appeal.

Hong Kong has strengthened its position as Asia’s most international city, extending its advantage over Singapore in a new regional ranking that highlights the city’s strengths in business, innovation and global connectivity.

According to the latest Asian Cities Internationality Index released by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Hong Kong ranked first among 11 major Asian cities. It scored 74.6 out of 100, placing it ahead of Singapore, which remained in second place with 72.6 points. The gap between the two cities widened to 2 points, compared with just 0.2 points in the previous year’s ranking.

The index measures cities across seven major areas, including business and economy, quality of life, infrastructure and connectivity, human capital diversity, innovation and ideas, government and legal systems for business, and cultural interaction.

Hong Kong continued to lead in the business and economy category, where it scored 78.6 points. The city also placed second in quality of life, infrastructure and connectivity, and human capital diversity. Its standing improved in innovation and ideas, moving up from fourth to third place. It held steady in third place for government and legal systems related to business and remained fourth in cultural interaction for the second consecutive year.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, said the city had shown notable strength in research collaboration, university-led innovation and scientific development. He also pointed to Hong Kong’s ability to attract top international professionals through talent admission schemes as an area of progress.

Kam said these advantages gave Hong Kong a solid foundation to build on. However, he warned that the city still needed to do more to attract private capital into technology and innovation, particularly as traditional investment funds remain cautious about start-ups because of perceived risks.

He noted that young companies often find it easier to raise funds in other markets than in Hong Kong. As an example of a more aggressive innovation strategy, Kam cited Shanghai, which has set a target of developing 100 unicorn companies by 2027. By comparison, Hong Kong has produced about 20 unicorns over the past decade, showing that the city has strong potential but may need sharper policy direction and stronger momentum.

Kam said Shanghai’s ambition could serve as a useful reference point for Hong Kong as it seeks to accelerate the growth of world-class innovation-driven companies. He added that wider public and business acceptance of new technology would also be important if the city wants to deepen its innovation ecosystem.

Cultural interaction was another area where Hong Kong was encouraged to improve. Kam said the city should strengthen its overall atmosphere, international appeal and cultural diversity for tourists, expatriates and business visitors. While major events such as the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament remain important, he said cultural and entertainment activities should be spread throughout the year and across the city.

He also said mega-events should not be concentrated only at venues such as Kai Tak Stadium. Instead, visitors should feel that the entire city is part of the experience, with entertainment, dining and cultural options available before and after major sports or entertainment events. This, he said, would help raise Hong Kong’s competitiveness in cultural interaction.

In the broader ranking, Singapore retained second place, while Seoul moved into third, overtaking Tokyo, which slipped to fourth. Shanghai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur followed.

The study was conducted by independent research firm Ipsos. It combined 60 per cent hard data from authoritative sources with 40 per cent soft data gathered through an online survey in February and more than 10 in-depth qualitative interviews. The survey covered 1,111 executives across the 11 cities. Respondents were evenly split between local residents and foreign executives who had lived and worked in the city for the previous two years. All participants also had experience living, working or doing business in at least three of the cities included in the study.

The report recommended that Asian cities adopt more focused policies linking sectors such as trade and logistics, improve urban planning with attention to affordable housing and green spaces, attract international research talent and continue digitalising government and judicial services.

Kam said the purpose of the index was not only to assess individual cities but also to support Asia’s broader competitiveness. He noted that Asian economies are expected to contribute around 60 per cent of global GDP growth, making the region increasingly important to the world economy.

Business leader Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, said Hong Kong’s cultural profile had been strengthened by major venues such as the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, the M+ contemporary art museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum. He described Kai Tak Stadium as a major boost for attracting international events.

Zeman also highlighted Hong Kong’s high level of safety as a key advantage in drawing foreign investment and international talent, saying it is often underestimated. He added that the city’s financial services sector remains strong, accounting for 27 per cent of GDP.

Geopolitical tensions, he said, could also encourage hundreds of family offices from the Middle East to set up operations in Hong Kong. At the same time, the city could benefit from mainland China’s fast progress in electric vehicles and robotics, supported by long-term planning and state backing.

Zeman said that as China gains wider recognition and confidence internationally, Hong Kong is likely to become even stronger as a global business and cultural hub.