The IMD Smart City Index 2025 put Dubai as the fourth smartest city in the world, up by 8 places from the previous year. Zurich topped the list, followed by Oslo and Geneva.
Dubai performed well across many categories, making it a digital-first, forward-thinking city. Abu Dhabi was fifth, followed by London, Copenhagen, Canberra, Singapore and Lausanne.
The IMD World Competitiveness Centre releases the IMD Smart City Index as a globally recognized analytical tool measuring the extent to which cities leverage digital technologies to enhance the quality of life for citizens.
In the 2025 report, Dubai improved on 16 of 20 indicators of technology and achieved progress in all four pillars of technology governance, demonstrating its commitment to greatness in smart cities.
The new entries in the cities this year were: Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia, Astana in Kazakhstan, Caracas in Venezuela, Kuwait City in Kuwait, Manama in Bahrain, and San Juan in Puerto Rico – for a total of 146 this year.
Findings:
- 86.5% residents in Dubai expressed satisfaction with the city’s current internet speed and reliability. Additionally, 78.3% of residents stated that free public Wi-Fi has improved access to city services.
- 85.4% of the residents believed that processing identification documents online has minimized waiting times.
- 8.3% said that online ticketing has made events and show attendance easier.
- 86.8% respondents believed that information on local government decisions are readily available.
- 89.3% of residents reported that CCTV cameras have made residents feel safer.
Dubai was recently also named among top 5 fintech destinations globally.
According to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism’s (DET) FDI Monitor, venture-capital-backed FDI surged by 39% in 2024, a strong indicator of international investor confidence and Dubai’s maturing innovation infrastructure.
Of these investments, 54% of all announced FDI projects incorporated High to Medium technology components.
Dubai is making major investments in technology and AI, aiming to lead innovation and is building capacity to support the ecosystem, so much so that government services are fully embracing and incorporating it.
