“It is with a deep and sustained sense of achievement that Porto receives, once again, this illustrious distinction, proof of the city's ability to develop an investment promotion strategy that remains, consistently, one of the most successful in Europe”, says Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, quoted in a statement.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Porto has been ranked among the European Cities of the Future. “In the 2025 edition, the municipality's investment attraction policy surpassed that of Antwerp (Belgium), Glasgow (Scotland), Leeds (United Kingdom), Düsseldorf (Germany) or Turin (Italy)”, highlights the Porto City Council.

The distinction, granted annually by fDi Intelligence (which belongs to the Financial Times group), rewards the strategy of European cities and regions, evaluating the results in the last year and the policies in force to achieve them. fDi Intelligence considered Porto “an important hub of talent in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as an emerging centre for innovative digital businesses in Europe”.

FDI Intelligence adds that this recognition was contributed to by the economic development strategy promoted by InvestPorto, the municipal division specialized in attracting and facilitating foreign direct investment projects, whose support for companies has already materialized in an investment exceeding two billion euros and the creation of nearly 28,000 local jobs.

“The jury was also impressed by municipal actions to support local startups, such as ScaleUp Porto, and did not fail to mention the fact that the city also attracted the opening of an office of the World Health Organization, focusing on technology, robotics and entrepreneurship in health, which will help put Portugal at the forefront of technological innovation in health services”, reads the same statement from the municipality led by Rui Moreira.

Braga takes second place among small cities

In addition to Porto, the city of Braga once again stood out in the ranking, this time occupying second place in the category dedicated to the strategy of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) among cities with a population between 100,000 and 350,000 inhabitants.

Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga, believes that this distinction reinforces, once again, the recognition of the “success of the work carried out, especially by InvestBraga, in recent years in attracting investment to the municipality, promoting the creation of value and qualified employment”, as can be read in a publication by InvestBraga.

The mayor also highlights that “Braga’s international recognition, driven by the city’s participation in important international city networks, has allowed it to attract investment from several multinationals in recent years”. “Braga’s continued presence at the top of this ranking highlights the importance of promoting our competitive advantages at an international level, which has attracted the interest of large multinationals, which are establishing themselves in the municipality and generating new jobs, particularly in technological and innovative sectors”.