Gateway cities continue to top global real estate investment, led by London

London maintained its position as the top city for global real estate investment in 2018, according to JLL. Investors continue to favor cities they are familiar with and that have well-established investment markets and high levels of transparency.

Well-known, large gateway cities with the world’s deepest concentrations of capital, companies and talent continue to dominate the top ranks. 12 cities — London, New York, Paris, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Washington, D.C., Sydney, Singapore, Toronto and Munich — have appeared in the top 30 ranking every year for the past decade and account for 30 percent of all real estate investment.

The data shows that total volumes in 2018 were $733 billion, up 4 percent from 2017, the best annual performance in a decade. Cross-border purchases accounted for 31 percent of activity in 2018, close to the 10-year average, suggesting investors still have appetite to buy outside their own markets.