Innovation Cities™ Index 2021: Asia City Ranking

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Which are the most developed cities in Asia for innovation? Which modern cities across Asia have the current best conditions for innovation, in this Covid-19 city ranking? What are Asia's most innovative cities for 2021?

This Covid-19 updated Asia city rankings, follows the world's most innovative cities top 100 and Innovation Cities™ Index: Global 500 cities lists recently released. In a significant change, Asian cities rose an average of 34 places this year in this global 500. This is the Asia specific city ranking below - showing strong rises among the most developed cities.

Based on the 14th annual Innovation Cities™ Index city rankings process. Original quantitative method, based on 162 indicators (including consideration of 1000+ data point inputs) per city.

Included in 'Asia' are cities of Asia-Pacific, Oceania - Australia & New Zealand, Japan, China, India and the whole Asia region (not MENA) . The list also includes all the latest DRAMATIC changes since late 2019. FAQ to all rankings.

2THINKNOW have developed this city ranking for innovation, since the 2007 launch.

FAQ

This city rankings measure conditions for innovation. This includes the most popular areas for 2021 innovation: digital transformation, technology application, startups, economic development, sustainability, liveability, mobility and other key areas of the best city to live, work and play - bser on 162 standard indicators for innovators.

The Innovation Cities™ Indexes annually measure each city of the 500 as an innovation economy, since 2007. We seek to definitively answer the question - 'which are the world's most innovative cities '?

-- MORE FAQ

162 City Indicators

Based on 162 standard indicators with underlying Data Points from 2thinknow's awesome City Benchmarking Data set - all available to order for single cities or sets of cities.

-- From FAQ

Data on 1 City

Order all 162 indicators and over 450 slides of full analysis on one single city online or via Proposal.

Data Comparing Cities

Order the data you need as raw Data Points (info, order) or 162 City Indicators (info, order) for set of 10+ cities, or order City Indicators (info, order). Or contact us for anything else.

Index Resources

Ranking Resources: Background | Media | Method | FAQ

2021 REGION Ranking	City	GEOGRAPHY	STATE/PROVINCE	City ID	Current City Classification*	Current Score	2019 REGION Ranking	Regional POST COVID-19 CHANGE	2021 GLOBAL Ranking
1	Tokyo	Japan	Tokyo	1361	NEXUS	56	1	0	1
2	Sydney	Australia	NSW	1300	NEXUS	53	5	3	4
3	Singapore	Singapore	Singapore	1240	NEXUS	53	2	-1	5
4	Seoul	South Korea	Seoul	1218	NEXUS	52	4	0	7
5	Shanghai	China	Shanghai	1227	NEXUS	51	7	2	15
6	Beijing	China	Beijing	125	NEXUS	50	6	0	19
7	Taipei	Taiwan	Taiwan	1313	NEXUS	49	9	2	23
8	Shenzhen	China	Guangdong	1230	NEXUS	49	11	3	26
9	Osaka	Japan	Osaka	2112	NEXUS	48	8	-1	30
10	Melbourne	Australia	VIC	811	NEXUS	48	3	-7	33
11	Brisbane	Australia	QLD	186	HUB	47	10	-1	42
12	Hong Kong	China	Hong Kong	522	HUB	47	12	0	49
13	Guangzhou	China	Guangdong	468	HUB	47	14	1	51
14	Kyoto	Japan	Kyoto	700	HUB	45	15	1	64
15	Perth	Australia	WA	1020	HUB	45	19	4	74
16	Nagoya	Japan	Aichi	877	HUB	45	21	5	76
17	Canberra	Australia	ACT	219	HUB	45	29	12	85
18	Busan	South Korea		1553	HUB	44	18	0	96
19	Wellington	New Zealand	Wellington	1473	HUB	44	23	4	98
20	Adelaide	Australia	SA	13	NODE	44	28	8	100
21	Fukuoka	Japan	Fukuoka Prefecture	423	NODE	44	26	5	106
22	Yokohama	Japan	Kanagawa	1508	NODE	44	27	5	117
23	Christchurch	New Zealand	South island	273	NODE	43	33	10	122
24	Sapporo	Japan	Hokkaido	1546	NODE	43	30	6	131
25	Ulsan	South Korea		1551	NODE	43	51	26	133
26	Ningbo	China	Zhejiang	1683	NODE	43	39	13	151
27	Auckland	New Zealand	Greater Auckland	81	NODE	42	20	-7	159
28	Gold Coast	Australia	QLD	1533	NODE	42	34	6	160
29	Daegu	South Korea	North Gyeongsang	1552	NODE	42	32	3	162
30	Incheon	South Korea		1550	NODE	42	31	1	168
31	Bangkok	Thailand	Bangkok	101	NODE	42	13	-18	172
32	Daejeon	South Korea	Chungnam	1613	NODE	42	36	4	174
33	Chongqing	China	Chongqing	272	NODE	42	37	4	176
34	Tianjin	China	Tianjin	1349	NODE	42	40	6	177
35	Suzhou	China	Jiangsu	1297	NODE	42	42	7	178
36	Hiroshima	Japan	Hiroshima Prefecture,	514	NODE	42	44	8	179
37	Nanjing	China	Jiangsu	883	NODE	42	46	9	182
38	Chengdu	China	Sichuan	254	NODE	42	52	14	183
39	Kaohsiung	Taiwan	Taiwan	1610	NODE	42	50	11	186
40	Hangzhou	China	Zhejiang	488	NODE	42	47	7	188
41	Tainan	Taiwan	Taiwan	1312	NODE	42	62	21	190
42	Xiamen	China	Fujian	1493	NODE	42	53	11	193
43	Wuxi	China	Jiangsu	1490	NODE	42	61	18	195
44	Nagasaki	Japan	Nagasaki	876	NODE	41	45	1	196
45	Kawasaki	Japan		632	NODE	41	43	-2	202
46	Kagoshima	Japan		600	NODE	41	57	11	210
47	Fuji	Japan		416	NODE	41	82	35	211
48	Newcastle	Australia	NSW	1531	NODE	41	49	1	212
49	Xi'an	China	Shaanxi	1494	NODE	41	74	25	214
50	Wenzhou	China	Zhejiang	1676	NODE	41	63	13	217
51	Fuzhou	China	Fujian	1693	NODE	41	66	15	219
52	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	689	NODE	40	16	-36	223
53	Dongguan	China	Guangdong	347	NODE	40	70	17	229
54	Wollongong	Australia	NSW	1555	NODE	40	54	0	233
55	Suwon	South Korea	Gyeonggi-do	1614	NODE	40	58	3	235
56	Taichung	Taiwan	Taiwan	2086	NODE	40	67	11	237
57	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	South Vietnam	517	NODE	40	60	3	239
58	Nanning	China	Guangxi	1690	NODE	40	78	20	242
59	Nantong	China	Jiangsu	1689	NODE	40	75	16	244
60	Taiyuan	China	Shanxi	1680	NODE	40	81	21	245
61	Quanzhou	China	Fujian	1675	NODE	40	72	11	247
62	Dalian	China	Liaoning	324	NODE	40	64	2	248
63	Qingdao	China	Shandong	1078	NODE	40	65	2	250
64	Shenyang	China	Liaoning	1554	NODE	40	69	5	252
65	Hobart	Australia	TAS	518	NODE	39	48	-17	254
66	Queenstown	New Zealand	Otago	1541	NODE	39	89	23	260
67	Mumbai	India	Maharashtra	862	NODE	39	17	-50	261
68	Jakarta	Indonesia	Jakarta	582	NODE	39	22	-46	265
69	Hanoi	Vietnam	Hanoi	490	NODE	39	92	23	276
70	Yangzhou	China	Jiangsu	1750	NODE	39	83	13	279
71	Nanchang	China	Jiangxi	1678	NODE	39	80	9	281
72	Kunming	China	Yunnan	1682	NODE	39	77	5	283
73	Harbin	China	Heilongjiang	492	NODE	39	79	6	285
74	Macau	China	Macau	760	NODE	39	85	11	287
75	Zhongshan	China	Guangdong	2073	NODE	39	93	18	288
76	Foshan	China	Guangdong	406	NODE	39	76	0	290
77	Bangalore	India	Karnataka	100	NODE	38	25	-52	294
78	Manila	Philippines	Manila	783	NODE	38	38	-40	319
79	Geelong	Australia	VIC	1530	NODE	38	55	-24	322
80	Zhuhai	China	Guangdong	1524	NODE	38	87	7	324
81	Changchun, Jilin	China	Jilin	1608	NODE	38	91	10	326
82	Hefei	China	Anhui	1685	NODE	38	94	12	327
83	Jinan	China	Shandong	1677	NODE	38	84	1	328
84	Yantai-Weihai	China	Shandong	1609	NODE	38	97	13	330
85	Zhengzhou	China	Henan	1611	NODE	38	86	1	331
86	Delhi	India	Delhi	332	NODE	37	24	-62	344
87	Colombo	Sri Lanka		292	NODE	37	56	-31	349
88	Shantou	China	Guangdong	1674	NODE	37	98	10	357
89	Wuhan	China	Hubei	1488	NODE	37	41	-48	358
90	Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia		1407	NODE	36	106	16	378
91	Chennai	India	Tamil Nadu	255	NODE	35	35	-56	390
92	Ballarat	Australia	VIC	1528	NODE	35	90	-2	393
93	Hyderabad	India	Andhra Pradesh	531	NODE	35	59	-34	395
94	Bendigo	Australia	VIC	1529	NODE	35	88	-6	398
95	Yangon	Burma	Yangon Region	1501	UPSTART	35	99	4	407
96	Phnom Penh, Cam	Cambodia	Phnom Penh	1028	UPSTART	35	105	9	408
97	Kolkata	India	West Bengal	670	UPSTART	33	71	-26	431
98	Ahmedabad	India	Gujarat	17	UPSTART	33	73	-25	434
99	Pune	India	Maharashtra	1076	UPSTART	33	68	-31	436
100	Dhaka	Bangladesh	Dhaka Division	338	UPSTART	32	102	2	449
101	Chittagong	Bangladesh	Chittagong	1607	UPSTART	32	104	3	456
102	Petaling Jaya	Malaysia	Selangor	1615	UPSTART	31	96	-6	467
103	Jaipur	India	Rajasthan	581	UPSTART	30	95	-8	473
104	Surat	India	Gujarat	1294	UPSTART	30	101	-3	475
105	Bandung	Indonesia	West Java	1612	UPSTART	30	103	-2	478
106	Lucknow	India	Uttar Pradesh	749		28	100	-6	487
107	Kanpur	India	Uttar Pradesh	613		27	107	0	495
108	Madurai	India	Tamil Nadu	1545		27	108	0	498

Reproducing this list.

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