When it comes to world reputation, Toronto’s got something to brag about — ranking second out of 100 cities in a list released Thursday by the Reputation Institute.

Toronto placed behind Sydney and was the only Canadian city to crack the top 10. Stockholm was third, Vienna was fourth and Venice rounded out the top five. Baghdad had the worst reputation, followed by Tehran, Karachi, Nairobi and Cairo.

Reigning reputable city, Vancouver, fell to 14th, and Montreal placed 18. No other Canadian cities were on the list.

This is the third time the Reputation Institute has released a report ranking 100 cities, which are selected based on largest populations, largest GDPs and tourism draw.

The institute says having a strong reputation matters more than ever in an increasingly interconnected world, helping to attract foreign knowledge and talent, increase exports, improve diplomacy and attract tourists.

More than 22,000 people from G8 countries were polled online between January and February of this year for the list. They were asked about a city’s appeal in terms of its economy, environment and government. Respondents were asked to only rate cities they knew.

Within the three categories, cities were judged on 13 attributes. The two most important were beauty and safety.

Although second overall, Toronto claimed the top spot when people rated which cities they would work in, placing ahead of Zurich. Toronto’s reputation was also noted for being among the most improved — up more than 11 per cent from last year when it didn’t make the top 10.

Of the three overarching categories, a city’s environment carried the most weight. This included not only whether the city is beautiful, but if it offers appealing experiences like food, sport and entertainment, and if well-known artists, scientists, writers, etc., call it home.

Government came next, with people judging the city’s safety, its political and legal institutions and if it’s run by well-respected leaders.

The least important factor to respondents was the economy, which included what the city produces, if companies are headquartered there, how technologically advanced it is, how business friendly it is and its financial stability.

The Reputation Institute is a reputation-based advisory firm founded in 1997, with offices in 30 countries around the world. It also releases reports ranking the world’s most reputable countries. Canada has claimed the top spot for the last three years.

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