How we rank
Every magazine in the ranking is judged against the same six criteria. This page sets out who qualifies, what we look at, and how a score becomes a rank.
Who qualifies
- Magazines that are still publishing in 2026, in print, digitally or both.
- Any language and any country.
- One listing per brand. Titles with many national editions are listed once, for the flagship edition, and their wider reach counts under Reach.
- Newspapers, academic journals, blogs and newsletters are not eligible.
Five categories
The ranking has 5 categories of twenty titles each. Every magazine sits in the one category that best fits its main subject, and is ranked both overall and within its category.
- News, Science & Ideas: current affairs, politics, science, essays, books and the arts.
- Business & Finance: business, finance, markets, trading and investing.
- Wealth, Luxury & Lifestyle: wealth, luxury, travel, food and wine.
- Fashion & Design: fashion, style, architecture and interiors.
- Entertainment & Sport: music, film, sport and the outdoors.
Six criteria
Each criterion carries a fixed weight. The weights add up to 100.
Editorial quality
25%Is the journalism good, issue after issue?
We look at Depth of reporting, quality of writing and editing, accuracy, consistency over the last 12 months.
Influence
20%Does it set the agenda in its field?
We look at Stories others follow and cite, lists and awards the field relies on, major journalism prizes.
Trust & transparency
15%Can readers rely on it?
We look at Fact-checking, a published corrections policy, ownership disclosed, sponsored content clearly labelled.
Design & craft
15%Is it a pleasure to read and to hold?
We look at Covers and layout, photography and illustration, print production.
Digital experience
15%Is it as good on a screen as on paper?
We look at Website and apps, newsletters, audio and video, access to the archive.
Reach
10%How many people does it reach, and where?
We look at Audience size, international editions, languages.
How scores are set
Our editors score each magazine from 0 to 10 on every criterion, to one decimal place, based on recent issues, the magazine's website and apps, and its public record. Each score is multiplied by its weight, and the total is the magazine's score out of 100.
The ranking orders magazines by that score. If two titles tie, the one with the higher Editorial quality score ranks first, then the one with the higher Influence score. Every magazine page shows its full scorecard and the sum behind it.
Scores are editorial judgements, not audience measurements. We do not publish circulation figures, because publishers count them in different ways and many no longer report them.
Facts and sources
The facts on each magazine page, such as founding year, publisher, frequency and headquarters, are checked against the publisher's own pages and reliable press coverage. The sources are listed on every page. Ownership and print schedules change often, so if something is out of date, please report a correction.
Independence
Rankings are set by our editors alone. No magazine can pay for a place in the ranking or for a higher score.
Updates
The ranking is published once a year as a new edition, with every title scored again from scratch. Magazines rise, fall, enter and drop out from one year to the next, so every past edition stays online unchanged in the archive, and each magazine page shows its full ranking history.
Between editions we correct facts as soon as we confirm them, and we note any change to a score. Nominations for the next edition are open all year: nominate a magazine.