Brighton and Hove has been named one of the top cities in the world.

The city ranked 169th out of a list of 1,000 of the largest cities in the world, above Valencia, Warsaw and Istanbul.

In the ranking, created by Oxford Economics, an independent economic advisory company, Brighton and Hove came 17th in the UK, behind cities like Birmingham, Southampton and Leicester.

The list, called the Global Cities Index, is based on five categories – economics, environment, quality of life, governance and human capital.  

Governance is based on the institutions, political stability and civil liberties in the city, while human capital focuses on the number of universities in the city, as well as the educational attainment of residents.

Anthony Bernard-Sasges, senior economist at Oxford Economics, said: “Cities are the heart of human civilisation, where innovation, diversity and progress converge. However, the intricacies of urban dynamics often cloud our understanding of what truly defines the success of a city.

“Our new Global Cities Index is designed to address this challenge.”

London is the only city in the UK to make the global top ten, where it is ranked second, largely due to its high performance in the economic and human capital categories.

The top 20 cities in the UK and their global ranking:

  1. London, 2nd
  2. Manchester, 75th
  3. Edinburgh, 82nd
  4. Bristol, 83rd
  5. Glasgow, 100th
  6. Cambridge, 106th
  7. Birmingham, 113th
  8. Southampton, 126th
  9. Leeds, 129th
  10. Oxford, 130th
  11. Leicester, 131st
  12. Belfast, 145th
  13. Nottingham, 153rd
  14. Cardiff, 162nd
  15. Newcastle, 166th
  16. Sheffield, 168th
  17. Brighton and Hove, 169th
  18. Coventry, 170th
  19. Liverpool, 172nd
  20. Portsmouth, 180th