According to EY (Ernst & Young) and the Urban Land Institute, La Défense ranks fourth in the world behind the City in London, Midtown in New York and Marunouchi in Tokyo.
In Europe, the Parisian district is second, ahead of Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Five major criteria were used to rank La Défense and 16 other major business centres around the world.
In addition, Paris is ranked 44th most expensive city in the world while London is 17th and New York 11th, so the French capital has an advantage with regards cost of living. La Défence is also better equipped with transport infrastructure than other cities in continental Europe.