This year’s ranking is characterized by a high degree of stability.
The index’s coverage remains practically the same (142 cities are included, as opposed to 141 in the previous edition), and its list of leading cities (the top 20) remains very much the same as last year.
Contents
The cities that continue to perform highly (i.e. that edge up the rankings or barely shift1) are also very much the same as last year’s. The SCI methodology has also entered its age of maturity, and as such the data used in 2024 is very much the same as that used in 2023.
Top 10 smartest cities in the World
| RANK | COUNTRY | SCORE | STRUCTURE | TECHNOLOGY | PROGRESSION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Zurich |
AAA |
AAA |
AA |
– |
|
2 |
Oslo |
AA |
AA |
A |
– |
|
3 |
Canberra |
AA |
AAA |
A |
– |
|
4 |
Geneva |
AAA |
AAA |
AA |
+5 |
|
5 |
Singapore |
A |
A |
A |
+2 |
|
6 |
Copenhagen |
AA |
AA |
A |
-2 |
|
7 |
Lausanne |
AA |
AA |
A |
-2 |
|
8 |
London |
A |
BBB |
AA |
-2 |
|
9 |
Helsinki |
AA |
AA |
A |
-1 |
|
10 |
Abu Dhabi |
BB |
BB |
BB |
+3 |
Top 10 smartest African cities
| RANK | COUNTRY | SCORE | STRUCTURE | TECHNOLOGY | WORLD RANK | PROG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Cairo |
C |
C |
CC |
114 |
-6 |
|
2 |
Algiers |
C |
C |
C |
124 |
-1 |
|
3 |
Rabat |
C |
C |
C |
126 |
– |
|
4 |
Cape Town |
D |
D |
D |
129 |
-4 |
|
5 |
Nairobi |
C |
C |
C |
131 |
– |
|
6 |
Abuja |
D |
C |
D |
135 |
-2 |
|
7 |
Lagos |
D |
D |
D |
136
|
-4 |
|
8 |
Tunis |
D |
D |
D |
137 |
– |
|
9 |
Accra |
D |
D |
D |
138 |
– |
|
10 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
Top 10 smartest Arabic cities
| RANK | COUNTRY | SCORE | STRUCTURE | TECHNOLOGY | WORLD RANK | PROG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Abu Dhabi |
BB |
BB |
BB |
10 |
+3 |
|
2 |
Dubai |
BB |
BB |
BB |
12 |
+5 |
|
3 |
Riyadh |
B |
B |
B |
25 |
+5 |
|
4 |
Doha |
B |
BB |
B |
48 |
+11 |
|
5 |
Mecca |
B |
B |
B |
52 |
– |
|
6 |
Jeddah |
B |
B |
B |
55 |
+1 |
|
7 |
Medina |
CCC |
B |
CCC |
74
|
+11 |
|
8 |
Muscat |
B |
B |
CCC |
88 |
+8 |
|
9 |
Al-Khobar |
CCC |
CCC |
CC |
99 |
NEW |
|
10 |
Cairo |
C |
C |
CC |
114 |
-6 |
Source: International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Download the full report: SCI 2024 Report
