HEAD TO HEAD
Istanbul vs Seoul
Cross-tier: World City vs Global Capital. Istanbul 4 · 8 Seoul on dimension wins.
Istanbul sits in the World City tier; Seoul is a Global Capital. On the composite, Seoul edges out Istanbul by 41.6 points (106.9 to 65.3). Across the fourteen dimensions tracked here, Istanbul leads on 4, Seoul leads on 8, and 2 are tied. The widest gap is on market cap: Seoul ranks #8 globally while Istanbul sits at #152.
Dimension verdicts
ECONOMY
Market cap#152#8
Major companies#T-83#13
SPORTS
Major league teams#11#T-38
Major sporting events#T-54#T-46
EDUCATION
Universities / hospitals / research#T-98#2
CULTURE
Cultural events#T-50#T-50
Museums and landmarks#T-16#T-6
Luxury hospitality#26#29
INFRASTRUCTURE
Airport score#T-8#T-12
Ports, exchanges, infra#T-9#T-15
Metro stations#41#6
Commuter rail#116#13
Intercity train hubs#T-45#T-45
Skyscrapers (150m+)#32#9