Smart City Index 2024: Stability in rankings as European and Asian cities dominate top spots

The IMD Smart City Index 2024 highlights a year of stability among the world’s leading smart cities, with Zurich, Oslo, and Canberra securing the top three positions. The index, which features a mature dataset allowing for meaningful time-series comparisons, underscores the ongoing prominence of European and Asian cities in the top 20 rankings. Notably, Taipei City made a significant leap, entering the top 20 for the first time, while North American cities have seen a decline, with no U.S. city making the top ranks this year. The report emphasizes the growing importance of digital transformation and resilience as cities navigate increasing global uncertainties.

The 2024 edition of the IMD Smart City Index, which ranks 142 cities globally, underscores a steady trend among top-performing cities, with only minor shifts in their positions. Zurich retained its number one spot, while Oslo and Canberra closely followed. Geneva saw a notable improvement, climbing five places to secure the fourth position, and Singapore moved up to fifth.

Growing concerns

Despite the general stability, the report highlights Taipei City's impressive jump of 13 positions, marking its first entry into the top 20, reflecting its rapid advancements in smart city initiatives. Meanwhile, several North American cities, including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and New York, experienced significant declines in their rankings. This shift is attributed to growing concerns over infrastructure and safety, areas where European cities have shown improvement, particularly in quality of life metrics.

The report also introduces the concept of "SCI Champions," identifying cities that have consistently performed well over the years. This group includes Zurich, Oslo, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, and Seoul, all of which have maintained high rankings through a combination of predictable social and economic environments and innovative strategies to enhance the quality of life.

Resilience, digital transformation, and inclusiveness

As cities around the world face increasing uncertainties, from health crises to climate change and geopolitical tensions, the report emphasizes the need for urban areas to focus on resilience, digital transformation, and inclusiveness. The continued digitalization of municipal services, coupled with efforts to bridge digital divides, is critical to ensuring that cities remain technologically advanced, human-centric, and accessible to all citizens.