These Ontario spots made the world's best cities ranking and beat so many destinations
One city in Ontario is Canada's highest-ranking location. 👀
Bridge over a river in Ottawa.
Two spots in Ontario were included in a new best cities in the world ranking.
These locations beat other Canadian cities and destinations around the world!
Earlier this month, the 2026 World's Best Cities Report was released, and it ranked "urban powerhouses" around the world.
There are 100 cities in the ranking, including five in Canada.
Resonance Consultancy analyzed the principal cities of metropolitan statistical areas with populations of more than one million.
It determined the top cities through a combination of statistics and user-generated data from Google, Instagram, and TikTok.
Cities are ranked based on three categories: livability, lovability, and prosperity.
Each location included in this ranking has a Place Power Score based on those categories and Place Power Highlights.
These are the top 10 places in the 2026 World's Best Cities Report:
- London, UK
- New York, USA
- Paris, France
- Tokyo, Japan
- Madrid, Spain
- Singapore, Singapore
- Rome, Italy
- Dubai, UAE
- Berlin, Germany
- Barcelona, Spain
Even though no Canadian cities are in the top 10, five locations in this country are on the list.
That includes two spots in Ontario.
Ranking 17th overall, Toronto is the top Canadian city in the World's Best Cities Report.
"Toronto's magnetism starts with its brainpower," the report said. "Toronto boasts the fourth most educated population on the planet."
The city's Place Power Highlights are universities and educational attainment.
Ottawa is 73rd in the 2026 World's Best Cities ranking.
"Long overshadowed by Toronto and Montreal, Ottawa has been quietly but decisively reinventing itself and is now asserting its own cosmopolitan edge, powered by talent, innovation and urban reinvestment," the report said.
Ottawa's Place Power Highlights are educational attainment and weather.
Since Toronto is in the top 20, it beat a lot of cities, including U.S. destinations like Miami, San Francisco and Chicago, and cities around the world like Hong Kong, Melbourne, Vienna, Mexico City, Dublin, Copenhagen and Milan.
Ottawa beat Athens, Santiago, Dallas, Brisbane, San Diego, Abu Dhabi, Lyon, Mecca, Porto, and more cities.
But it didn't rank better than Vancouver or Montreal!
The other Canadian cities in the World's Best Cities Ranking are Vancouver (41st), Montreal (46th), and Calgary (85th).
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.