Friendliest Cities in the World 2026: Mérida Tops, Delhi Among the Least Friendly

A new global ranking of 200 cities has named Mérida in Mexico the world’s friendliest city, while Delhi features among the 10 lowest-scoring cities. The travel platform Fernwayer commissioned the Friendliest Cities Index 2026 and published it on September 23, 2026. It analysed more than 1.2 million Reddit comments to see how travellers described local residents, whether as friendly, welcoming and hospitable, or as unfriendly and rude.

List of Top 10 Friendliest Cities in the World (2026)

Mérida in Mexico tops the Friendliest Cities Index 2026 with a score of 95 out of 100, followed closely by Glasgow (94.9) and Bogotá (94.5). Bodrum, Manchester, Hamburg, Perth, São Paulo, Mexico City, and Nashville complete the top 10, with Latin American cities scoring especially well.

List of Top 10 Least Friendly Cities in the World 2026

Buenos Aires in Argentina ranks last among the 200 cities with a score of 42.0, followed by Los Angeles (42.2) and Madrid (42.5). Delhi is the only Indian city in this list, ranking 193rd with a score of 43.6, alongside Cape Town, Miami, Barcelona, Milan, Paris and Las Vegas. Most of these cities are major tourist destinations, where interactions can feel rushed or transactional.

Delhi: Among the Lowest-Scoring Cities

Delhi scored 43.6 out of 100 and ranked 193rd. The report says cities with heavy tourist traffic often feel impersonal, because interactions can seem rushed or purely transactional.

Some other patterns stood out:

1. In nine countries with more than one city in the study, the capital or main city scored lowest. Paris, Madrid, London and Tokyo are examples.
2. Cities built around entertainment, resorts, and transit, such as Las Vegas, Cancún, and Dubai, placed near the bottom.