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10 most influential cities in the world

August 20, 2014 08:30 IST

Image: The moon rises next to the Empire State Building (C) prior to the annual fireworks show during Independence Day ceremonies in New York.
Photographs: Gary Hershorn/Reuters

The rise of the east has brought many Asian cities on the global map. For big businesses, Shanghai is more important than Seattle and Mumbai more important than Milan.

Forbes magazine rated cities based on the influence it has on the global businesses. In the top 10, about half the countries are from Asia. Mumbai is ranked 31st along with Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur. Delhi comes 34th with Bangkok and Geneva.

To rank the cities, the magazine took into account factors such as air connectivity, Foreign Direct Investment, number of corporate headquarters, and presence of financial services companies.

Let’s take a look at top 10 most influential cities in the world.

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Mumbai Kuala Lumpur Bangkok Shanghai Asia

Image: The University of Toronto campus is seen in Toronto.
Photographs: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Toronto

Country: Canada

Rank: 10 (tie)

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 60

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 23

Air Connectivity: 49 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 11

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FDI Transactions Toronto Canada

Image: Tourists take in the view of the skyline including its Victorian homes known as the"Painted Ladies" in San Francisco.
Photographs: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

San Francisco Bay Area

Country:US

Rank: 10 (tie)

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 49

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 17

Air Connectivity: 38 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 12

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San Francisco Bay Area FDI US

Image: The Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles.
Photographs: Sam Mircovich/Reuters

Los Angeles

Country: US

Rank: 10 (tie)

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 35

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: N/A

Air Connectivity: 46 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: N/A

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FDI Los Angeles US

Image: People look at the Sydney Opera House as they walk past at sunset.
Photographs: David Gray/Reuters

Sydney

Country:Australia

Rank: 8 (tie)

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 111

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 21

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 43 per cent

GFCI Rank: 15

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GFCI Rank FDI Transactions Sydney Australia

Image: A woman walks into a subway in the central business district of Beijing.
Photographs: Claro Cortes IV/Reuters

Beijing

Country:China

Rank: 8 (tie)

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 142

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 45

Air Connectivity: 65 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 59

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FDI China Beijing

Image: An Emirati man walks past a tourist posing for a photo near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, in Dubai.
Photographs: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

Dubai

Rank: United Arab Emirates

Rank: 7

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 245

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: N/A

Air Connectivity: 93 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 25

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United Arab Emirates FDI

Image: Journalists walk past a building at Mystic Point Grand in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Photographs: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Hong Kong

Country: Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Rank: 6

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 234

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 48

Air Connectivity: 57 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 3

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Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China FDI Transactions Hong Kong

Image: Tropical fish from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa swim in a temporary aquarium in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district.
Photographs: Toru Hanai/Reuters

Tokyo

Country:Japan

Rank: 5

FDI Transactions (5-Year Avg.): 83

Forbes Global 2000 HQs: 154

Air Connectivity: 59 per cent

Global Financial Centres Index Rank: 5

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FDI Tokyo Japan