Basel compared internationally
Several recent rankings show that Basel truly is in the premier league both nationally and internationally. The city on the Rhine is home to one of the most prestigious art museums in the world, and internationally among the cities with the highest quality of living. Basel occupies a front-runner position in terms of its economy and innovation as well as its academic institutions.
Mercer: Basel among the global Top 10
According to the "Quality of Living" ranking published by the international consulting firm Mercer in 2024, Basel is among the ten cities with the best quality of life in the world. According to this study by Mercer, Basel offers an outstanding economic, political and socio-cultural environment, excellent healthcare, a high level of security, good and international schools and an attractive property market in comparison with the world's 241 most important economic engines and is ranked 10th.
The consultancy firm regularly compares the quality of life in the world’s biggest cities, surveying employees on assignments abroad. Basels’ inclusion in the 2024 ranking confirms, that Basel is a city with the highest quality of life.
Financial Times: Basel - one of the top 10 smaller European cities
In the recent survey “European Cities and Regions of the Future” by fdi intelligence, an agency by the Financial Times, the city of Basel achieved outstanding results in various categories. Basel ranks seventh in the "Small European Cities" category. The baseline data of 152 small cities were analysed for this edition.
UBS: Most innovative region in Switzerland
Basel-Stadt’s above-average competitive position is backed up in a study by UBS from 2025, which put Basel-Stadt in second place – behind the Canton of Zug. This "cantonal competitiveness indicator” is calculated using a comparative analysis of eight components: economic structure, innovation, human capital, labour market, accessibility, catchment area, cost environment and government finances. In fact, the Canton of Basel-Stadt is ranked first in the areas of economic structure, human capital and accessibility. Thanks to the EuroAirport, the city of Basel has excellent international connections. The airport also has a beneficial effect on the catchment area, which is positively influenced by Basel's geographical location and the associated large number of cross-border commuters. As a university location, the Canton of Basel-Stadt also has access to significant human capital.
Academic Ranking of World Universities: University of Basel ranked 95th worldwide
Placed among renowned educational establishments worldwide, the University of Basel compounds the worldwidely acknowledged Shanghai ranking of the Swiss universities. In 2024, the University of Basel occupied 95th place out of 1,000 research and educational institutions, thereby underscoring the significance of Basel as an educational and research city with the oldest university in Switzerland and a history stretching back hundreds of years.