Hubballi: Hubballi-Dharwad has ranked 707th in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026, placing fifth among six Karnataka cities featured in the global ranking.
Bengaluru leads the state at 311, followed by Mysuru (627), Mangaluru (665), Belagavi (683), Hubballi-Dharwad (707) and Kalaburagi (781). He said the presence of five Karnataka cities besides Bengaluru among the world’s top 1,000 highlighted the economic potential of tier-2 urban centres. Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news.
He urged policymakers to factor their requirements into infrastructure development and urban planning. Nargund also called for greater decision-making and executive powers for mayors to ensure holistic urban development. He cited global cities such as New York, London and Paris, arguing that empowered mayors could play a stronger role in shaping a city’s development. Download the TOI App.
The index provides a data-driven assessment of the world’s 1,000 largest metropolitan economies, scoring cities on 27 indicators across five categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. Urban affairs expert Santosh Nargund said Hubballi-Dharwad secured an overall score of 29.7 out of 100. The twin cities scored 32.5 in economics, 28.5 in human capital, 35.3 in quality of life, 64.4 in environment and 57.4 in governance. Nargund said the twin cities improved their scores across all five categories compared with 2024 and 2025.