A British media and hospitality company, Time Out has ranked Lagos in Nigeria as the 19th best city to visit in the world in 2024. The ranking is a significant achievement for Lagos, reflecting its growing status as a major cultural and economic hub.

The report ranked Lagos above Dubai city in the United Arab Emirates; San Francisco and Miami in the United States.

According to Akonitv, apart from Lagos, South Africa’s Cape Town (ranked second) and Ghana’s Accra (44th) were the only African cities that featured on the list.

Time Out said it drew its conclusion from a survey of more than 20,000 city dwellers around the world, along with its network of editors. The criteria used to rate the cities include food (quality and affordability), culture, nightlife, how the city makes people feel, strong community vibes, access to green space, historic sites, and much more.

The report encouraged global citizens to visit the city. “Whether you’re a staunch mainlander or from Lekki, there’s something for everyone in Lagos, Africa’s most populous city. “Both the city and its suburbs are expanding – just check out live-work-play concept Eko Atlantic City. Just out of town, Epe, on the north side of Lekki Lagoon, is experiencing a boom.

“When it comes to standard of living, Lagos has a lot going for it – 96 percent of locals are happy, 98 percent would call Lagos beautiful and the city got a 92 percent friendliness rating, too,” the report read. The report also highlighted Victoria Island’s trifecta of swanky resorts, food haunts, and nightlife, Ikeja’s Kuti’s Bistro, owned by the legendary afrobeat family, for serving up “reliably delicious food”, and Oniru Beach as a relaxation spot.

In 2023, the Economist Intelligence Unit said Lagos was the fourth worst city to live in the world. Lagos was ranked above Algiers, the capital of Algeria; Tripoli, Libya’s capital; and Damascus, the capital of war-torn Syria. The report surveyed 173 cities and used 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

See the full list.

1 New York City, United States
2 Cape Town, South Africa
3 Berlin, Germany
4 London, United Kingdom
5 Madrid, Spain
6 Mexico City, Mexico
7 Liverpool, UK.
8 Tokyo, Japan
9 Rome, Italy
10 Porto, Portugal
11 Paris, France
12 Mumbai, India
13 Lisbon, Portugal
14 Chicago, US
15 Manchester, UK
16 São Paulo, Brazil
17 Los Angeles, US
18 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
19 Lagos, Nigeria
20 Melbourne, Australia
21 Naples, Italy
22 Singapore
23 Miami, US
24 Bangkok, Thailand
25 Lima, Peru
26 Budapest, Hungary
27 Beijing, China
28 Dubai, United Arab Emirates29. Montreal, Canada
30 Glasgow, UK
31 Sydney, Australia32. Bueno Aires, Argentina
33 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
34 Manila, Philippines
35 Seoul, South Korea
36 Hanoi, Vietnam
37 San Francisco, US
38 Barcelona, Spain
39 Abu Dhabi, UAE
40 New Orleans, US41. Philadelphia, US
42 Austin, US
43 Boston, US
44 Accra, Ghana
45 Marseille, France
46 Taipei, Taiwan
47 Istanbul, Turkey
48 Osaka, Japan
49 Hong Kong, China
50 Vancouver, Canada