The economic gap between London and the rest of the UK is widening because other cities are "punching below their weight", according to research.
London has created 10 times more private sector jobs than any other city since 2010, analysis by the Centre for Cities found.
The think tank is calling for more power to be devolved to the regions.
Its research found almost a third of people aged between 22 and 30 who moved cities headed for London.London appears to "suck talent from the rest of the country", the report says, with many young people never returning to their home towns.
Edinburgh and Birmingham were the next best performing cities in terms of private sector job creation, with Aberdeen also featuring in the top ten.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said the report was "further evidence" Scotland could succeed as an independent country.
Barney Crockett, the leader of Aberdeen City Council, said the city was "key" to the UK.
"The city is renowned for successful business start-ups and its strength has been widely remarked on during the past few years, because where many other areas have struggled and watched helplessly as businesses have folded around them, we have seen private firms develop and grow in strength," he said
Manchester 'underperforming