Established in 2008 by the US-based global consulting firm Kearney, the Global Cities Index (GCI) is one of the first to rank cities based on their global engagement through facts and public data. The GCI examines the current extent of global influence and connectivity of leading metropolitan areas across 31 metrics in five dimensions:  business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. In 2025, Incheon was included in the GCI for the first time and ranked 84th out of 158 cities.

• Business Activity

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Fortune 500	-	-	-
  Top global services firms	-	-	-
  Capital markets	855 (USD million)	2025	Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE): Foreign Direct Investment Trends
  Air freight	4,032,059.8 (tonnes)	2025	Korea Airports Corporation (KAC): Airlines, airports, and aviation
  Sea freight	1,574,834,000 (tonnes)	2025	Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries(MOF): Ports_National data)
  ICCA conferences	24 (112th)	2025	News article by Yonhap News/No.ofconferences (City ranking)
  Unicorn Companies	-	-	-

• Human Capital

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Foreign-born population	169,219 (persons)	2024	Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS)
  Top universities	1 (INHA University)	2025	2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities
  Population with tertiary degree	56.2%	2024	OECD: Adults' educational attainment distribution_National data
  International student population	7,397 (persons)	2024	Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS)
  Number of international schools	7 (schools)	2026	Ministry of Education (MOE) Foreign schools in Incheon
  Medical Universities	2 (schools)	2026	Website of each university
  Ease of entry	-	-	-

• Information Exchange

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  News agency bureaus	1 (bureau)	2026	-
  Broadband subscribers	-	-	-
  Freedom of expression	69.12 points (47th)	2026	ReportsWithoutBorders(RSF):PressFreedomIndex(Nationalstatistics)
  Online presence	-	-	-
  Internet speed	-	-	-
  Data center presence	-	-	-

• Cultural Experience

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Museums	31 (sites)	2025	Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST): Nationwide Cultural Infrastructure Yearbook (2024)
  Visual and performing arts	-	-	-
  Sporting events	-	-	-
  International travelers	18,936,562 (persons)	2025	Korea Tourism Organization: Tourism Statistics_National Data
  Culinary offerings	-	-	-
  Sister cities	22 (cities)	2025	Incheon Metropolitan City website: Sister cities

• Political Engagement

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Embassies and consulates	-	-	-
  Think tanks	3,743(sites)	2023	Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG): Research institutes
  International organizations	15 (organizations)	2026	Incheon Metropolitan City website: International Organizations
  Local institutions with global reach	-	-	-
  Political conferences	-	-	-

  
  In cases where the original data is available only in Korean, we can provide an English translation. For assistance, please email us at hhjung21@korea.kr.
  
  For the latest updates on Incheon’s economy, industry, events, culture, and daily life, please visit our LinkedIn page: Invest In Incheon_Incheon Metropolitan City .

The Global Cities Outlook (GCO) was added to the Global Cities Report in 2014, then as the Emerging Cities Outlook. Focusing on the future potential of leading cities, the Outlook measures 13 indicators across four dimensions:  personal well-being, economics, innovation, and governance. Taken together, the GCI and the GCO highlight the present and future of leading global cities. The GCO also included Incheon on its list for the first time in 2025, and the city came in 55th out of 158 cities. 

• Personal Well-Being

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Stability and security	-	-	-
  Healthcare evolution	5,207 (medical institutions) /5,801(specialists)	Q1 2026	Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA): Healthcare Big Data Hub_Medical Institutions
  			Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA): Healthcare Big Data Hub_Medical specialists
  GINI coefficient index	0.325	2024	e-National Index: Gini Coefficient_National data
  Environmental performance	-	-	-

• Economics

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Infrastructure	-	-	-
  GDP per capita	41,187(KRW thousand)	2024	Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS): GRDP per capita
  FDI inflow	742 (USD million)	2025	Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE): Foreign Direct Investment Trends

• Innovation

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Patents per capita	7,365 (applications)	2024	Ministry of Data and Statistics: Intellectual Property Statistics
  Private investments	-	-	-
  University- sponsored incubators	-	-	-

• Governance

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Quality of bureaucracy	-	-	-
  Ease of doing business	-	-	-
  Transparency	63 (points)/ 31th	2025	Transparency International (TI): Corruption Perceptions Index (Score/Ranking)_National

  
  In cases where the original data is available only in Korean, we can provide an English translation. For assistance, please email us at hhjung21@korea.kr.
  
  For the latest updates on Incheon’s economy, industry, events, culture, and daily life, please visit our LinkedIn page: Invest In Incheon_Incheon Metropolitan City.

The Global Liveability Index is an annual assessment published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which is affiliated with the British weekly Economist. The Liveability Index ranks 173 cities for their living conditions based on more than  30 indices in five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.]

• Stability
  

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Prevalence of petty crime	-	-	-
  Prevalence of violent crime	-	-	-
  Threat of military conflict	-	-	-
  Threat of civil unrest/conflict	-	-	-
  Threat of terrorism	-	-	-

• Healthcare

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Availability of private healthcare	-	-	-
  Quality of private healthcare provision	-	-	-
  Availability of public healthcare	-	-	-
  Quality of public healthcare provision	-	-	-
  Availability of over the counter drugs	-	-	-
  General healthcare indicators	5,207 (medical institutions)  /5,801(specialists)	Q1 2026	Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA): Healthcare Big Data Hub_Medical Institutions
  			Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA): Healthcare Big Data Hub_Medical specialists

• Culture & Environment

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source
  Climate: Humidity/Temperature rating	13.4℃	2025	Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA): Average temperature/
  Climate: Discomfort to travellers	-	-	-
  Cultural hardship: Corruption	-	-	-
  Cultural hardship: Social/Religious restrictions	-	-	-
  Cultural hardship: Level of censorship	69.12 points (47th)	2026	Reports Without Borders (RSF):Press Freedom Index_National data
  Recreation: Sports	1314/3,853	2024	Ministry of Cutlure, Sports and Tourism: National Public Sports Facilities 2025
  			Ministry of Culture,Sports,andTourism: National Registered Sports Facility Businesses 2025
  Recreation: Culture	-	-	-
  Recreation: Food and drink	-	-	-
  Availability of consumer goods and services	-	-	-

• Education 

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source / Note
  Availability of private education	-	-	-
  Quality of private education provision	-	-	-
  General public education indicators	5.6 (%)	2022	OECD: Education at a Glance 2025_National data

  
  

• Infrastructure 

  Indicator	Statistics	Year of Data	Source / Note
  Transport: Quality of road network	-	-	-
  Transport: Quality of public transport	50 (%)	2026	Numbeo: Traffic in Incheon (Bus/Trolleybus:25%,Train/Metro:25%)
  Transport: Quality of regional or international links	-	-	-
  Availability of good quality housing	-	-	-
  Utilities: Quality of water provision	100 (%)	2025	Ministry of Environment Environmental Statistics Portal
  Utilities: Quality of telecommunications infrastructure	72.38(10th)	2025	Network Readiness Index 2025: Portulans Institute_National data
  Utilities: Quality of energy provision	-	-	-

  
  In cases where the original data is available only in Korean, we can provide an English translation. For assistance, please email us at hhjung21@korea.kr.
  
  For the latest updates on Incheon’s economy, industry, events, culture, and daily life, please visit our LinkedIn page: Invest In Incheon_Incheon Metropolitan City .