Emerging Europe – Business-Friendly Cities, 2023

The 2023 Business-Friendly City Perception Index provides valuable information on the business environment of cities in emerging Europe. It assesses cities across eight categories, including brand, economic potential, business climate, talent pool, smart city development, infrastructure, quality of life, and local authority support. This year, respondents were asked to select the five best cities in two groups: Established Cities with a population over 200,000 or national capitals, and Emerging Cities with a population between 100,000 and 200,000. The top five Established Cities are Vilnius, Prague, Kyiv, Łódź, and Tallinn. Vilnius surpassed Prague, the previous year's leader, by one point due to improvements in various categories. Kyiv made it into the top three by improving its rankings in different areas. The top five Emerging Cities include Klaipėda, a Lithuanian city, followed by multiple cities from Poland, Czechia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Poland is the best-represented country in the region, with six cities on the emerging list. This index provides insight into the growing interest in tier-three cities in emerging Europe and reflects macroeconomic and geopolitical developments in the region.