Why Nairobi performed poorly in latest global cities ranking

An aerial view of office blocks at the City Of Nairobi or Nairobi County. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

The prevalence of more slums and poor sanitation services in Kenya’s capital has hurt the city’s outlook on the global stage, making Nairobi rank 56 in global attractiveness. 

A latest report points out these two issues even as it underscores the city’s exemplary performance as an economic hub serving the sub-Saharan region. 

The Global Attractiveness Index, which looks at emerging and fast-growing cities, published by The European House Ambrosetti in partnership with global logistics service provider DHL, positions Nairobi 11th in Africa. 

The report was launched this week on the sidelines of the Climate Change Global Business Summit held in Nairobi. It ranks 80 cities by analysing their performance across four matrices: economic, environmental, social, and urban infrastructure.

The report ranks Nairobi 56th globally on overall attractiveness, 11th in Africa, and sixth in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

“The city outperforms several peers with comparable economic and demographic structures, demonstrating solid underlying potential. Yet its global ranking is limited by structural gaps in social conditions and infrastructure, which weigh heavily on its overall score,” the report says.

“Nairobi’s performance reflects a dual profile: competitive in some dimensions, but held back by persistent weaknesses that require targeted policy action.”

On the economic index, Nairobi was ranked 39 globally, better than its overall attractiveness positioning. It also took ninth position in Africa and fifth in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The report says the city stands out as one of the region’s strongest economic performers as its diversified urban economy and relative affordability support a solid competitive position compared with peer emerging cities. 

“These strengths, however, coexist with pressures on purchasing power, income levels, and housing affordability that limit further upward mobility,” the report reads. “Addressing these constraints would enable Nairobi to more fully leverage its role in the regional economic landscape.”

On the environmental index, the city was ranked 35th globally, fifth in Africa, and fourth in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The report documents good air quality levels, public transport coverage, and availability of green areas, which outperform most large metropolitan cities. 

“This strong environmental profile constitutes a distinctive competitive asset, especially considering the pressures associated with rapid urban growth,” the report says. “Preserving and expanding this advantage will be crucial for long‑term resilience and attractiveness.”

However, Nairobi’s challenges compound on the social front as the city’s performance drops to 73rd globally, 21st in Africa, and 16th in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The report lists low access to safely managed sanitation services (at 27.93 per cent, which is 68th globally) and the fact that 40.5 per cent of residents live in slums.  These two indicators, the report says, exert the strongest downward pressure on the city’s performance. 

“While land‑use efficiency and public open‑space availability are comparatively better, they do not offset deep structural weaknesses,” the report says. 

Targeted margins

The report hypothesises that by reducing slum prevalence and improving sanitation coverage by the targeted margins, Nairobi could gain 14 positions, rising from 73rd to 59th. 

Additionally, Nairobi performed dismally on the urban infrastructure index. The city is ranked 65th globally, 18th in Africa, and 13th in Sub‑Saharan Africa, which the report says signals gaps in essential services and digital connectivity.

It adds that internet usage remains limited (41.6 per cent; 68th) and sewerage coverage modest (31.88 per cent; 51st), even as access to basic drinking water performs relatively well. 

“These weaknesses hinder Nairobi’s ability to support population growth and economic activity,” the report says. 

The report notes that if the city were to raise access to electricity by around seven percentage points, aligning with better‑performing Sub-Saharan Africa peers, it could improve its position from 65th to 60th, demonstrating that even modest infrastructure upgrades produce tangible improvements.

“Cities like Nairobi, Kigali, and Johannesburg could lead regional alliances to expand broadband connectivity, reduce data costs, and harmonise digital standards—critical for continental competitiveness,” the report says. 

On the global infrastructure index, where Nairobi is ranked 65th globally and 18th in Africa, the city performed better than Conakry (Guinea), Lagos (Nigeria), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Cotonou (Benin), Lusaka (Zambia), Brazzaville (Congo), Maseru (Lesotho), Luanda (Angola), and Abidjan (Cote d’ Ivoire).

Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), at position 52 globally, is among the 17 cities that outperformed Nairobi on the urban infrastructure front.

Algiers (Algeria), which ranks 12 globally in attractiveness, is the top city in urban infrastructure in Africa.  Nairobi, despite its dismal performance on the social aspect, performed better than Dar es Salaam.

On the social index ranking, Nairobi, which is ranked 73rd globally, performed better than Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Lusaka (Zambia), Dakar (Senegal), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Cotonou (Benin), and Brazzaville (Congo). 

The report notes that Nairobi shows a mixed social profile, with certain indicators performing more favourably but not strongly enough to compensate for the city’s major weaknesses in essential services and housing conditions.

The report adds that the city performs somewhat better on indicators such as the ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate (0.37) and the share of open space for public use (15.37 per cent). 

“Yet, despite these relatively stronger values, their combined contribution is insufficient to counterbalance the profound structural deficits in sanitation and the high prevalence of informal settlements, which remain the dominant factors shaping Nairobi’s overall social rankings,” the report says. 

The report notes that urban Africa is experiencing the fastest population growth globally, often without adequate infrastructure, and Nairobi reflects this duality. While the city shows efficient land use (lowland‑consumption ratio), the report says it struggles in overall social performance (45 out of 100), similar to fast‑growing cities such as Dhaka or Lagos.

The report recommends that cities should adopt structured upgrading of informal settlements, combining land ownership regularisation, better access to basic services, and community co-governance approaches successfully piloted in Latin American peers like Guatemala City and Quito

“Nairobi’s relatively compact growth can serve as a model for other African cities. Investments in densification, mixed-use zoning, and transit-oriented development can reduce disparities and promote more inclusive urban growth,” the report says.