Dublin’s knack for mixing storytellers with start-ups keeps paying off – on the streets and in the stats. Standard of Living ranks #2 globally, and you feel it in a compact core that’s #5 for Walkability and surging to #4 for Biking, with the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan trimming through-traffic and stringing together safer cycle spines from the Docklands to the Grand Canal.
The business story is equally kinetic. Economic Output sits at #10, with big tech and biopharma investing in cloud campuses on the west side as the Grange Castle life-sciences cluster adds capacity. Educational Attainment at #9 keeps multinationals anchored in “Silicon Docks,” while Trinity and UCD feed a steady pipeline of researchers and founders. It adds up to an overall Prosperity index rank of #25 (and #23 for Livability). Tourism and hospitality are pivoting upscale. The Leinster near Merrion Square hit its stride in 2024 and this year brought refreshed rooms and new dining at heritage addresses across the Georgian core, while Clerys Quarter and North Dock retail continues to fill with global flagships. Dublin Airport – now leveraging its newer north runway – continues its terminal upgrades aimed at smoothing peak flows into 2026.