A new report released today by independent think tank Committee for Sydney reveals a glaring disparity between Sydney’s performance and its perception on the world stage.

The new report, ‘Beauty Runs Deep: Benchmarking Sydney’s Brand 2025,’ looks at six key pillars – visitor and destination, business and innovator, talent, resident, asset and investor, and culture – to test how Sydney’s brand compares, in perception and performance, to cities across the world.

The research reveals a significant split, with results at or near the top for Sydney on metrics around liveability and tourism, with strong name recognition, and strong results for liveability and place, for short term visits and a warm welcome.

However, Sydney’s perception on the world stage consistently lags its performance on strategically important indicators – business and innovator, and culture – both crucially important for attracting investment and repeat visitors.

Jeremy Gill, Head of Policy at the Committee for Sydney: “The story we tell the world about our city is one of physical beauty and a laidback lifestyle, and it’s not wrong. Sydney’s reputation as a tourist mecca has delivered global recognition and priceless brand equity, but it’s also pigeonholed a city with almost 6 million people, a pumping economy and a thriving cultural scene.”

“When you look at global benchmarks, they tell a far deeper and more nuanced story about Sydney than we’ve been known for. We have a globally competitive innovation sector, and our cultural life is booming. It’s high time we let the world know Sydney’s so much more than just a pretty postcard.

“We have all the fuel we need to stoke up an innovation powerhouse here in Sydney, but we can’t fire up that engine if no one knows it’s here. To unleash this powerful economic opportunity, we need the world to know what we are capable of. We’ve done a huge amount of work to bring Sydney’s city centres back to life, and the vast array of food and cultural events in all corners of the city reflects our profoundly multicultural makeup. It’s a story that’s bound to resonate globally because it represents all corners of the world.”

Key points from the report:

• Innovation prowess. Sydney is the only city in the Southern Hemisphere in the top tier of globally connected corporate cities, recently overtook 10 leading cities for levels of corporate and investor activity, and is the biggest innovation ecosystem south of the equator. Yet these signs barely register in global perceptions with Sydney ranking only 17th out of 25 top cities on reputation for innovation prospects – just 5% see Sydney as a global innovation hub, versus 7% for Toronto and 31% for Singapore.
• Ripe for investment. Sydney is widely regarded as a safe bet for investment, with a wellregulated market, stable political landscape and strong economy, placing second for regional investment opportunities and consistently top three for perceived development prospects. But actual investment volumes lag that perception, creating a significant opportunity to leverage Sydney’s strong perceptions for wider economic and developmental goals.
• Cultural offerings. Sydney’s cultural brand lagged for some time, but in 2025 we are seeing green shoots with Sydney ranking top five globally for its arts and culture scene as voted by locals in each city. Yet Sydney is consistently rated outside of the top 20 among 45 global cities for its museum and dining offerings.