Dubai named world’s fourth smartest city

Dubai was named the fourth smartest city globally, by the IMD Smart City Index 2025, moving up 8 spots from last year. Zurich came in first place followed by Oslo and Geneva.

Dubai scored well in several categories, cementing its position as a digital-first, future-forward city. Abu Dhabi came in fifth place followed by London, Copenhagen, Canberra, Singapore and Lausanne.

The IMD Smart City Index, issued by the IMD World Competitiveness Centre, is a globally recognised analytical tool that assesses how effectively cities leverage digital technologies to enhance residents’ quality of life.

In the 2025 report, Dubai recorded progress in 16 out of 20 technology indicators and achieved advancement across all four pillars of technology governance, underscoring its commitment to smart city excellence.

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The new cities added this year were: AlUla in Saudi Arabia, Astana in Kazakhstan, Caracas in Venezuela, Kuwait City in Kuwait, Manama in Bahrain, and San Juan in Puerto Rico – bringing this year’s total to 146.

Findings:

• 86.5% of Dubai residents were satisfied with the city’s current internet speed and reliability, 78.3% of residents find that free public wifi has improved access to city services
• 85.4% of residents thought processing identification documents online has reduced waiting times
• 8.3% responded that online ticketing has made attending shows and events easier
• 86.8% respondents thought that information on local government decisions are easily accessible
• 89.3% residents found that CCTV cameras has 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.