A city can boast outstanding street food, brilliant nightlife culture and some really cool museums, as well as be easy to navigate on transport or on foot, but all that is rather pointless if you don’t feel welcome.
Cities vary enormously when it comes to how diverse and inclusive they are, but somewhere that embodies both of those values is simply a better place to live. There’s evidence showing that cities that are culturally diverse aren’t only blessed with all the benefits of having different cultures living side-by-side, such as diverse food options and the joy of getting to know new people and new customs, but also for our economies and our wellbeing.
So, as part of our massive annual survey to determine the world’s best cities, we asked 18,500 city-dwellers whether they’d describe their city as ‘diverse and inclusive’ – and below is a roundup of the cities home to the highest proportion of people who’d do so.
Topping the list is London, where a huge 78 percent of survey respondents said they’d describe the UK’s capital as diverse and inclusive. Thanks to its long history as a hub for immigration, it’s widely considered one of the most, if not the single-most, diverse city on the planet. Around 300 languages are spoken, and you’ll find communities throughout the city that have brought their culture to the UK.
South Lambeth is home to Little Portugal, in New Malden you’ll find Little Korea and Little Lagos is nestled in Peckham, but there’s also Green Lanes in North London, famous for its well-established Turkish and Cypriot community, Ealing’s historic role as a base for London’s Polish community, and Tooting, which is home to a large British Asian population, and some lip-smacking restaurants to match.
London is also a champion of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, hosting a massive annual Pride celebration which, this year, will take place on July 5. It also has an impressive and ever-growing selection of year-round queer spaces like gay bars and clubs as well as lesbian spaces and events, too.
Second place goes to Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, which lies across several different Indigenous Australian land divides. Seventy-seven percent of locals here described the city as diverse and inclusive.
The city’s original name is Naarm, and Melbourne honours the land’s Traditional Owners in its art scene, with events such as RISING: Melbourne, and venues such as Malthouse Theatre, which supports lots of First Nation plays and productions.
Melbourne’s proximity to Asia also means a dazzling array of communities and cuisines. Chinatown is in the city’s central business district, where, in some restaurants, you can watch dumplings being folded and the noodles being pulled. There’s also a huge Greek influence in the southeastern suburbs, due to the large numbers of people who emigrated after the Second World War.
Third place? That went to Brighton, a seaside city on the UK’s south coast, which is affectionately known as the country’s Gay Capital. Census data from 2023 shows that it has a higher proportion of people identifying as bi, pan, asexual and non-binary than any other city in England and Wales, and it’s also home to one of the most popular Pride celebrations in Europe. Kemptown and St James’s Street are the best spots to head for some queer nightlife pubs and clubs.
But New York also came in joint third, and given it was the birthplace of the Stonewall Riots and is widely known as one of the world’s most welcoming cities for LGBQT+ people, we’re hardly surprised. Today, neighbourhoods such as Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the West Village and parts of Brooklyn like Park Slope are the go-tos for queer nightlife.
The Big Apple is also one of the most diverse cities, not just in the US but the world, with more than 200 languages spoken and a proportion of residents born outside the country of around 37 percent, according to the city’s official website. Along with Brighton, 76 percent of locals described it as ‘diverse and inclusive’. Read on for the top 15.
These are the most diverse and inclusive cities in the world
- London, UK
- Melbourne, Australia
- Brighton, UK
= New York, USA - Los Angeles, USA
- Chicago, USA
- Madrid, Spain
- Barcelona, Spain
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Johannesburg, South Africa
= Cape Town, South Africa - Montreal, Canada
= Medellin, Colombia
= Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
= San Francisco, USA
There’s a whole load of factors that make a city great, and we have assessed them all. Check out our roundups for the best cities in the world for walkability, public transport, and green space, as well as the best cities for food, nightlife and culture. Oh, and here’s our latest annual list of the world’s best cities overall.
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