Asunción occupies the 446th position among the thousand cities evaluated in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026, trailing urban centers such as Buenos Aires (138th), Santiago (155th), and Mexico City (221st). The Paraguayan capital performs worst in the Governance category, ranking 652nd, while its most critical economic classification is 461st. The index weighs five dimensions: Economy (30%), Human Capital (25%), Quality of Life (25%), Environment (10%), and Governance (10%).
In the economic pillar, which considers GDP size and growth, stability, per capita income, employment growth, and productive diversification, Asunción records 461st. By comparison, Mexico City leads the region in this regard with the 93rd position, followed by Buenos Aires (179th) and Santiago (210th). In Human Capital, where population growth, age structure, universities, corporate headquarters, education level, and foreign population are assessed, Asunción achieves its best relative placement: 319th. Even so, it remains far behind Santiago (36th), Buenos Aires (86th), and Mexico City (45th).
Quality of Life, which measures income equality and cultural and recreational offerings, places Asunción at 511th, surpassed by Buenos Aires (197th) and Santiago (381st), but ahead of Mexico City (610th). In Environment, a category analyzing air quality, emission intensity, and climate risks, the Paraguayan capital figures at 418th, positioning itself ahead of Santiago (662nd) and behind Buenos Aires (259th) and Montevideo (311st).
The result in Governance reflects national institutional factors, including political stability, business environment, and civil liberties, not just municipal management. Montevideo, the city closest to Asunción in the overall ranking (405th), also faces challenges, sitting at 138th in Governance but in lower positions in Economy (366th), Human Capital (530th), and Quality of Life (713th). This material was produced by MF Economía and Inversiones.