HSE University Releases Global Ranking of Top Cities for High-Tech and Creative Industries
Researchers at HSE ISSEK have released the third ranking of megacities based on their innovation attractiveness—HSE Global Cities Innovation Index 2024 (HSE GCII 2024). Moscow ranks ninth, while London, New York, and Tokyo lead the ranking. The top ten also include Beijing, San Francisco, Paris, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Seoul. In addition to Moscow, 25 other Russian cities are among the top 1,000, including St. Petersburg (73), Novosibirsk (183), and others.
Since 2020, the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge has published the HSE GCII ranking of the world’s cities based on their appeal for innovation economy leaders. The ranking aims to identify global hubs that attract top talent in the high-tech and creative sectors.
The 2024 study analysed over 1,000 cities in 144 countries, each hosting at least one of the 27,925 leaders of the innovation economy, including top companies (megacorporations, breakthrough startups, leading universities) and outstanding individuals (Nobel Prize winners, highly cited scientists, renowned designers, architects, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and developers).
The ranking is based on a unique system of 90 indicators calculated from reputable international sources, excluding expert assessments, surveys, and administrative data. These indicators are grouped into three key sections: Technological Development, Creative Industries, and Urban Environment. The reliability of the sources used is further validated by a specially conducted statistical audit.
HSE GCII serves as a guide for mayors aiming to participate in the global innovation race, as well as for technology entrepreneurs and talented individuals seeking new avenues for growth, partnerships, and career opportunities. The practical value of the ranking is enhanced by 50 individual city profiles, which include ratings for all collected indicators, show each city's position relative to the leader, and are supplemented with information on technological specialisations. The report features 20 success stories highlighting global centres of innovation attractiveness.
Key findings of the study
The main centres of innovation attractiveness have strengthened their positions compared to last year's ranking. In HSE GCII 2024, techno-leaders and mega-creative cities have demonstrated even greater success in various aspects of innovation development, surpassing their achievements from the 2023 ranking.
Global innovation centres attract talent not just through their advanced urban environments, but even more so by offering opportunities for individuals to realise their potential. Many cities in the HSE GCII 2024 have embarked on their path to success by modernising urban spaces and creating exclusive conditions to attract innovators.
HSE GCII 2024 cities demonstrate a high level of development in both high-tech and creative industries: the leaders of the ranking have achieved impressive results across multiple areas, not limited to a single high-tech or creative specialisation, while cities outside the top 10 showcase strengths in specific creative and technological niches within their innovation profiles.
Asian megacities have strengthened their position among the leading technological and creative hubs, competing for the title of global centres of innovation attractiveness by offering exceptional urban environments.
The success of Western cities on the global innovation map is driven not only by megacities but also by medium and small campus cities, which boast the highest per capita number of leading representatives of the innovation economy.
The top 1,000 includes 26 Russian cities, with Moscow (9th), St. Petersburg (73rd), and Novosibirsk (183rd) achieving the highest rankings.
Moscow has secured its ninth place in the ranking by strong performance in technological development (7th), creative industries (15th), and urban environment (6th).
The Russian capital has been building its potential in both areas of innovation attractiveness by focusing on the multiplication and transfer of knowledge. The city ranks among the top three for the number of leading universities and research organisations (26 and 60, respectively) and holds the 4th position for the number of leaders in art education (11), including renowned institutions like Gnesinka, GITIS, and the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. Moscow also ranks among the top 10 leaders in the music industry, with eight winners of the International Opera Awards, and in the arts, with six world-class artists. Moscow universities have attracted 392,800 students, an increase of 41,600 compared to the previous year.
The size and diversity of the Russian capital's economy inspired the city authorities to create the Moscow Innovation Cluster (MIC) in 2018-2019. This large-scale initiative brings together economic agents on a digital platform providing access to various tools that promote collaboration across different industries, territorial affiliations, sizes, and organisational forms. MIC comprises over 40,000 participants and partners—approximately 27,000 from Moscow and more than 13,000 from other Russian regions. It spans around 90 industries, ranging from high-tech to creative sectors, and includes 15 intersectoral clusters that bring together more than 1,100 companies; these clusters are implementing more than 140 projects using the services available from the i.moscow digital platform, along with various financial and non-financial instruments.
The Russian capital ranks 6th in urban development, surpassing Tokyo, Paris, Beijing, Berlin, and New York. It stands out among other megacities for its favourable and affordable conditions for doing business (5th place), high level of mobility (18th place), and affordable cost of living (28th place). Moscow ranks 9th in tourist appeal, attracting visitors with 851 new unique cultural venues, 103 additional tourist attractions, 5 more recreational areas, and 13 new theatres compared to the previous ranking.
Moscow, along with other HSE GCII 2024 cities such as Dubai, Singapore, Seoul, and Shanghai, has been developing metaverse projects. Moscow's metaspace features the Meta Moscow platform, which includes photorealistic, high-precision models of attractions for virtual tours. Additionally, it has a digital twin of the city used for managing the capital's economy, planning the construction of residential, industrial, and social facilities, and regulating traffic flows based on real-time data.
The study findings were presented on September 18 during the BRICS Urban Future Forum: Cloud City. The developers of the ranking: Leonid Gokhberg, First Vice Rector, Director of the HSE ISSEK, Evgeniy Kutsenko, Director of the Russian Cluster Observatory at HSE ISSEK, and members of the HSE GCII Expert Council—internationally recognized experts in the fields of innovation and urban development—participated in the discussion.