Toronto ranks as the world's fourth best city to experience culture, behind only London, Paris and New York, a new study on globalization has found.

Washington, D.C.-based Foreign Policy magazine's inaugural Global Cities Index, in the November/December issue, assesses 60 urban areas around the globe in five broad categories: business, human capital, culture, global political influence and the centrality of the city to global information flows.

The "cultural experience" category tallies cities' international sporting events and international travellers, and assesses their restaurants, museums and performing arts.

Toronto received praise for the quality and cosmopolitan nature of its cuisine – 94 per cent of our top restaurants are "international" – and the city's place in the North American touring circuit.

The survey's data also cites Massey and Roy Thomson halls and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Toronto placed 10th overall out of the 60, edging out Washington, D.C., which came in 11th. But Toronto ranks lower in international business and global political influence, 26th and 24th respectively.

Toronto fared better as a place of international learning, as the 13th best place to take a university degree. In that category, it's sandwiched between Bangkok and Madrid – and distant from London, Tokyo and Singapore, all in the top five.

The top business cities were New York, Tokyo, Paris, and London, while Washington, D.C. placed first in terms of international political influence.

Kolkata, India, ranked 60th, placed close to last in every category.

Four of the top 10 "global cities" were in North America, four in Asia and two in Europe.

"The term itself conjures a command centre for the cognoscenti. It means power, sophistication, wealth, and influence. To call a global city your own suggests that the ideas and values of your metropolis shape the world," the authors wrote.

Foreign Policy has published indexes measuring countries' levels of globalization, and ranked the world's top 100 public intellectuals.



