The southern metropolis was also named one of five "Cities to Watch" in the Asia-Pacific region, alongside Kuala Lumpur, Bengaluru, Shenzhen, and Tashkent. The index evaluates cities across 27 indicators spanning five core categories, including Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance.
Oxford Economics highlighted three key strengths for the city: rapid GDP growth, relatively high income equality, and economic stability. It is projected to rank among the world's 50 fastest-growing cities over the next five years.
