The world's cities have been ranked by their digital dependency for 2025 – a measure of how "smart" they are.
These locations are scored on their digital infrastructure, including public Wi-Fi speeds, smart parking solutions and CCTV coverage.
Tech platform ZeroBounce ranked the top 18 cities - and only one Australian capital made it into the mix.
Read on to see the full list.
- Tokyo, Japan
Japan's capital Tokyo is world-renowned for its digital innovations, so it's no surprise this city made it onto the list.
The city's local government is also developing ways to improve resident quality of life through digital technology, greener measures and the promotion of 5G.
- Hong Kong
Hong Kong, the gateway to mainland China, has unlocked major smart city potential.
Known as a global hub for tech innovation, Hong Kong ranked 17th on the list.
- Manchester, England
Manchester was one of only two entrants from the UK on the top 18 list.
The British city has fast become one of Europe's fastest-growing technology cities and its councils have developed plans to turn it into a resilient and sustainable smart city.
ZeroBounce said Holt Town in East Manchester's repurposing of undeveloped areas into living laboratories to test futuristic concepts helped bump it up on the list.
- Berlin, Germany
Berlin in Germany bills itself as a "smart, connected, post-fossil and resilient capital".
It ranked 15th on the list for its digital dependency.
- London, England
London pipped Manchester by two spots, coming in at number 14.
The English capital uses "digital technologies and city-wide data to respond to our citizen's needs".
- Mumbai, India
Mumbai in India was ranked number 13.
As one of the most dense populations in the world, Mumbai has needed to harnass technology to help make life easier for locals.
- Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is the only Australian city to make the list.
ZeroBounce looked at factors including online healthcare, which Melbourne is a leading innovator in – particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also scored highly across CCTV coverage, smart parking and public internet speed.
- San Francisco, US
San Francisco in the US is home to Silicon Valley, a famous global technology hub, so it's natural the California city would rank highly on the list.
- Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm in Sweden embraces both history and innovation, a clever mix which makes the city a digital hub in Europe.
- New York City, US
New York City was the top US city on the list.
It's known widely as the leading smart city in north America due to its commitment to digital infrastructure including widespread CCTV.
- Barcelona, Spain
The Spanish city of Barcelona has been lauded for its integration of technology and attempts to build a smart city ecosystem.
It was one of the first European cities to adapt smart city technologies.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam in the Netherlands ranked number seven on the list thanks to its use of innovation to create better streets and neighbourhoods.
- Taiwan
Taiwan is at the forefront of data security, according to the IMD Smart City index.
It's commitment to using technological innovation to solve problems for locals led to it ranking highly on the list.
- Singapore
Singapore rounds out the top five on the list.
The city is often recognised as one of the smartest cities not only in Asia but worldwide due to its health, housing and urban planning.
- Bejing, China
Beijing in China is a pioneering smart city.
It built 30,000 5G bases last year and leads the country in AI development.
- Seoul, South Korea
Number three on the list is Seoul in South Korea.
According to ZeroBounce, Seoul aptly used AI-powered surveillance, automated public transport and data-driven governance to smoothly operate the city.
- Shanghai, China
The second-most digitally dependant city in the world on the list is Shanghai in China.
Shanghai, a business and technology hub, leads due to its use of 5G, pollution monitoring and transport infrastructure.
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The futuristic city of Dubai came in at number one on the list.
Dubai has a goal to transform into one of the world's most modern smart cities – and ZeroBounce agrees, ranking it 79.1 out of 100 for digital infrastructure.
The UAE city also records the highest CCTV camera presence and second-highest internet speeds in the world.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): April Glover
Quelle/Source: 9News, 25.02.2025
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