Manchester

Manchester’s skyline crowned one of the most ‘beautiful’ in the world

She's a beauty.

Emily Sergeant - 20th March 2025

Manchester’s skyline is constantly changing.

Every day, it seems as though a new crane pops up, or plans get submitted to build another new building that’ll alter the landscape of our city, and although some residents aren’t the biggest fan of this, others can still see Manchester‘s beauty regardless.

There are some stunning – and truly iconic – skylines across the world, from New York City to Dubai, and everything in between.

And according to a new study, Manchester is one of them.

Although our city probably wouldn’t be the first to spring to mind when asked to name picturesque skylines, its growth and evolution means it’s been crowned the world’s 46th most beautiful, according to gaming platform Slingo.

Manchester skyline — Manchester’s skyline has been crowned one of the most ‘beautiful’ in the world / Credit: Chris Curry | Josh Taylor (via Unsplash)

Famous for iconic buildings like Beetham Tower and Deansgate Square that attract a huge number of visitors each year, Manchester’s skyline is said to be ‘one that every traveller needs to visit and admire in their lifetime’.

Manchester ranks among capital cities, business hubs, and popular tourist destinations on the list of iconic skylines from around the world, with New York City taking the coveted top spot and other legendary places such as Chicago, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Melbourne all featuring in the top 10.

To calculate the most aesthetically pleasing skylines, each city’s skyline was processed to determine its aspect ratio, with the renowned golden ratio (1.618) used as a benchmark for aesthetic balance, and then the final rankings were created by combining this score with the number of Instagram posts and hashtags for each city’s skyline.

It ranks among other iconic cities like New York City, Dubai, and Mumbai / Credit: Fran Serra (via Unsplash)

Manchester’s skyline may already be ‘beautiful’ enough as it is, but of course, it’s set evolve in the future with skyscraper developments planned.

Trinity Islands, a proposed residential development comprising five towers, mixed-use developments St Michael’s and Viadux, and residential skyscraper One Heritage Tower, are just a few of the projects planned.

Manchester has changed a lot over the past decade, but how will it look in the next 10 years? That, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Featured Image – Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)