These 28 under-the-radar cities have been named ‘ones to watch’ for 2026

The world’s emerging urban hotspots from Europe to the Middle East have been revealed in a new economic report.

Oxford Economics, an economic advisory firm, ranked “emerging stars” of the global economy in its Global Cities Index for 2026 in September.

The new “Cities to Watch” section named five under-the-radar European cities, including Warsaw, Tallinn, Toulouse, Eindhoven and Manchester.

The northern UK city ranked 90th overall for its economic growth, thriving cultural scene, appeal to young people and investment in critical infrastructure.

Oxford Economics said: “Manchester is booming. Since 2010, the city has experienced some of Europe’s largest employment gains, has outpaced all other cities in the UK for both GDP and productivity growth, and has firmly positioned itself as a destination for professional services firms.”

In North America, the report listed Boise, Durham, Jacksonville, San Antonio and Edmonton as cities that “epitomise the continent’s exceptionalism, combining strong productivity increases with robust and diverse employment growth”.

As for Latin America, a mix of established capitals and emerging metropolitan economies featured including Brasília, the capital of Brazil, and Colombia’s Medellín.

Five ranked Asian cities include Bengaluru, India, and Shenzhen, China, with African capitals such as Nairobi also gaining prominence on the global stage.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE alongside Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh have “emerged onto the global stage with astonishing pace in the past few decades” despite significant disruption in the Middle East, said the report.

Generally, the 2026 index continued to highlight the strength of global cities including New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.

Cities were scored across five categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.

Mark Britton, managing director of city services at Oxford Economics, said: “What unites the cities rising fastest is not geography but their climb up the global value chain into technology, advanced manufacturing, and business services, and their success in converting that into improving living standards.

“That thread runs through our new Cities to Watch section, which picks out emerging stars in every region, from Tallinn to Bengaluru, Nairobi to Monterrey.”