Belagavi placed 683rd out of 1,000 cities in Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index, earning an overall score of 30.9. The city’s strongest showing was in the Environment category with 62.8 points, followed by Governance at 57.4, while Human Capital lagged at 25.3. Its scores also included 34.4 for Economics and 40.3 for Quality of Life.
Oxford Economics evaluates the five parameters as follows: Human Capital reflects a city’s talent pool, skills, education and labour force; Economics considers GDP, growth, GDP per capita, employment growth, stability and diversity; Quality of Life covers life expectancy, income, income equality, housing costs, recreation, cultural amenities and internet speed; Environment assesses air quality, emissions intensity, natural disaster risk and climate‑related factors; Governance looks at institutional effectiveness and policy frameworks.
Among Karnataka’s six entries, Bengaluru ranks 311 with an overall score of 53.2, Mysuru 628 (34.1), Mangaluru 665 (31.8), Hubballi‑Dharwad 707 (29.7) and Kalaburagi 781 (25.5).
In the global list, Belagavi sits 18 places below Mangaluru and 24 places above Hubballi‑Dharwad.
The index is designed as a data‑driven assessment that blends the five categories to gauge a city’s strengths, weaknesses and future potential, rather than merely ranking by economic size. The latest report also underscores the growing influence of Asian urban centres, particularly those in India and China, on the world economy.
This positioning offers a benchmark for the city’s development, while the detailed category scores point to areas of relative strength and those where improvement is needed.
