Lagos has been ranked as the 19th best city to visit in the world, according to Time Out, a British media and hospitality company that publishes guides and magazines.
Time Out said the conclusion was drawn from a survey of more than 20,000 city dwellers around the world, along with its own network of editors.
Criteria used to rate the cities include food (quality and affordability), culture, nightlife, how the city makes people feel, strong community vibes, access to green space, historic sites, and much more. The list reflects cities that are great places to visit—but also to live.
“As our global ranking shows, cities haven’t just pulled together through the pandemic—they’ve come out reborn and are back, better than ever when it comes to going out and experiencing great things to do,” Time Out’s travel editor Grace Beard said in an interview with Forbes.
“Time Out’s 2024 list of the world’s best cities is not only an essential travel guide for the coming year, spotlighting the most exciting places on earth right now for food, nightlife and culture, but it’s also a global snapshot of city living.”
In the report published on Tuesday, Time Out said it worked with Potentia Insight, a research company, to strengthen the survey’s quality.
South Africa’s Cape Town, Nigeria’s Lagos, and Ghana’s Accra were the only African cities that featured on the list.
While Cape Town ranked second, Lagos was 19th, and Accra had the 44th position.
“Whether you’re a staunch mainlander or from Lekki, there’s something for everyone in Lagos, Africa’s most populous city,” the report reads.
Time Out encouraged global citizens to visit Lagos because: “Both the city and its suburbs are expanding – just check out live-work-play concept Eko Atlantic City. Just out of town, Epe, on the north side of Lekki Lagoon, is experiencing a boom”.
“When it comes to standard of living, Lagos has a lot going for it – 96 percent of locals are happy, 98 percent would call Lagos beautiful and the city got a 92 percent friendliness rating, too,” the report added.
The ranking also praised Victoria Island’s trifecta of swanky resorts, food haunts, and nightlife, recommended Lekki for brunchers, commended Ikeja’s Kuti’s Bistro, owned by the legendary afrobeat family, for serving up “reliably delicious food”, and cited Oniru Beach as a relaxation spot.
Last year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister publication of The Economist of London, said Lagos was the fourth worst city to live in the world.
Lagos was ranked above Algiers, the capital of Algeria; Tripoli, Libya’s capital; and Damascus, the capital of war-torn Syria.
The report surveyed 173 cities and used 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Lagos was the second worst liveable city in 2022 after holding the position for two consecutive years and was only behind Damascus which has been held down on the list by social unrest, terrorism and conflict.
EIU said Lagos moved up the ranks after seeing improvements in healthcare and education, but added that corruption is still a problem.
CAPE TOWN AND ACCRA’S DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
Cape Town scored highly across the board after a whopping 100 percent of locals said the city is beautiful and that it made them happy, Time Out said.
The city’s culture scene also ranked highest in the world for its quality.
Accra on the other hand was praised for having exciting new ventures across music, nightlife and the arts.
Like Cape Town, the Ghanaian capital scored a 100 percent happiness score, with the same percentage of locals saying the seaside city was beautiful to look at.
NEW YORK RANKS FIRST, VANCOUVER TAKES 50TH
New York, known as “the city that never sleeps”, took first place on the list.
Time Out said the adage extends to the city’s spirit, too.
“This vibrant metropolis is always adapting, always innovating and always pushing the boundaries,” the report said.
Canada’s Vancouver took the last spot, laying claim to being the country’s prettiest city, with 94 percent of locals saying they found the city beautiful (beating Montreal by 2 percent), according to Time Out.
Here is a full list of the countries.
New York City, United States
Cape Town, South Africa
Berlin, Germany
London, United Kingdom
Madrid, Spain
Mexico City, Mexico
Liverpool, UK.
Tokyo, Japan
Rome, Italy
Porto, Portugal
Paris, France
Mumbai, India
Lisbon, Portugal
Chicago, US
Manchester, UK
São Paulo, Brazil
Los Angeles, US
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lagos, Nigeria
Melbourne, Australia
Naples, Italy
Singapore
Miami, US
Bangkok, Thailand
Lima, Peru
Budapest, Hungary
Beijing, China
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Montreal, Canada
Glasgow, UK
Sydney, Australia
Bueno Aires, Argentina
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Manila, Philippines
Seoul, South Korea
Hanoi, Vietnam
San Francisco, US
Barcelona, Spain
Abu Dhabi, UAE
New Orleans, US
Philadelphia, US
Austin, US
Boston, US
Accra, Ghana
Marseille, France
Taipei, Taiwan
Istanbul, Turkey
Osaka, Japan
Hong Kong, China
Vancouver, Canada
