Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, ranked 683rd out of 1,000 cities in the latest Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2025.  The city trailed behind other Central Asian capitals such as Astana (276th), Ashgabat (623rd), Bishkek (498th), and Tashkent (471st), as well as Kazakhstan’s economic hub Almaty, which led the region at 258th globally.

Almaty earned particular praise for its “human capital,” ranking 64th worldwide, reflecting its role as a regional intellectual and educational center.  Astana also showed strong economic and human capital scores, though it ranked lower in ecology and governance.

Globally, New York retained the top spot, followed by London and Paris.  Other cities in the top ten included San Jose, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Melbourne, Sydney, and Tokyo.

The ranking assesses cities across five key areas: economy, quality of life, environment, governance, and human capital, all crucial for sustainable urban development.

For comparison, in Mercer’s 2024 ranking of the best cities for expatriates, Dushanbe was placed 216th based on quality of life, infrastructure, education, and cost of living.