Porto named best large European city of the future in investment attraction
For the fourth consecutive year, Porto has ranked among the Financial Times' “European Cities of the Future.”
Porto has once again been recognized as a top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe.
The British newspaper Financial Times has named the Portuguese city the best European city of the future in investment attraction strategy, within the category of medium-sized cities. Meanwhile, Braga secured the second position among small cities on the continent.
For the fourth consecutive year, Porto has ranked among the Financial Times' “European Cities of the Future.” After falling to second place in 2023, the city has reclaimed the top spot for 2025 in the FDI Strategy – Large Cities category.
“In this year’s edition, Porto’s investment attraction policies outperformed those of Antwerp (Belgium), Glasgow (Scotland), Leeds (United Kingdom), Düsseldorf (Germany), and Turin (Italy),” stated Porto City Hall in an official announcement.
Porto’s mayor, Rui Moreira, celebrated the achievement, saying, "It is with a deep and sustained sense of accomplishment that Porto receives, once again, this prestigious recognition. It proves the city's ability to develop a successful investment promotion strategy that remains one of the most effective in Europe."
The distinction is awarded annually by fDi Intelligence, a publication of the Financial Times, evaluating the performance of cities and regions in attracting investment based on their policies and achievements over the past year.
According to fDi Intelligence, Porto is "an important talent hub in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as an emerging center for innovative digital businesses in Europe." The publication highlighted Porto’s ongoing development of digital services and information technology clusters, which have attracted major multinational corporations.
The city’s economic development strategy, spearheaded by InvestPorto—Porto’s municipal division focused on foreign direct investment—has been instrumental in securing over €2 billion in investments and creating nearly 28,000 local jobs.
The fDi Intelligence jury was particularly impressed with the city's support for local startups, such as the ScaleUp Porto initiative. Additionally, Porto’s ability to attract international organizations, including a new World Health Organization (WHO) office focused on technology, robotics, and health entrepreneurship, was a key factor in securing this recognition. The WHO’s presence in Porto is expected to position Portugal at the forefront of technological innovation in healthcare services.
Braga was also recognized as a "city of the future," maintaining its second-place ranking in the FDI Strategy – Small Cities category, following Basel, Switzerland.
The awards ceremony for the fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future will take place on March 11 in Cannes, France, during MIPIM, one of Europe’s largest real estate investment fairs.