Dublin has risen five places to 22nd in a list of cities that have the best and worst reputations.

According to the City Reptrak index for 2015, Sydney and Melbourne top the rankings; Moscow, Tehran and Baghdad bring up the rear.

The index, compiled by the Reputations Agency and Reputation Institute, is based on a survey of 19,000 people in the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the United States). It ranks cities according to a range of metrics from aesthetic quality and environment to technology and financial stability.

League table

The latest league table saw Dublin, with a score of 72.68, rise five places to rank ahead of cities such as New York (31st), Brussels (27th), Toronto (26th), Berlin (25th), San Francisco (24th) and Amsterdam (23rd), although behind Barcelona (6th), Edinburgh (7th), London (11th) and Paris (16th).

Perceptions of the Irish capital improved significantly under the headings of: “follows progressive social, economic, and environmental policies”; “offers a favourable environment for doing business”; and “has well developed institutions”.

The city’s highest score (76.5 out of 100 ) was for the attribute “beautiful city”. Its lowest score (64.1 out of 100) came when those surveyed were asked to grade on the basis that a city “is run by well-respected leaders”.

According to the study’s findings of supportive behaviour, the percentage of people willing to support Dublin by visiting is at 78 per cent, followed by willingness to buy its products/services at 70 per cent, work at 69 per cent, live at 68 per cent, and invest at 64 per cent.

The managing director of the Reputations Agency, Niamh Boyle, said: “The study highlights the key drivers of a good reputation and also confirms the link between city reputations and positive economic outcomes.

“While Dublin achieved strong scores in being seen to have an appealing environment such as ‘beautiful city’ and ‘offers a wide range of appealing experiences’, it performed only moderately [between 60-70 points] in the more economic and government-based attributes such as ‘is run by well-respected leaders, is technologically advanced and is financially stable’.”

Capital city

She said: “We know cities are major drivers of economic activity and the success of Dublin, as a capital city, is crucial for Ireland’s overall economy.

“Dublin has a critical role in driving and shaping the national economy, accounting for half of all jobs in Ireland, more than half of the national tax intake, and half of all goods and services produced in Ireland.”