Madinah has made global progress in the IMD Smart Cities Index for 2025, advancing 7 places to reach 67th globally, in a step that reflects the extent of the progress that Madinah is witnessing in adopting smart solutions and developing a sustainable and integrated urban environment.
This achievement is an extension of the national trend towards building smart cities that contribute to improving the quality of life and enhancing urban competitiveness, within the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which places digital transformation and innovation at the heart of comprehensive development strategies.
His Excellency the Mayor of Madinah Region and CEO of the Madinah Region Development Authority, Engineer Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Balihishi, expressed his deepest gratitude and appreciation to the wise leadership - may God support them - for their continuous support in enabling the Kingdom’s cities to rise in global competitiveness indicators, in light of the ambitious vision that has made Saudi cities a model for smart and sustainable transformation.
Al-Balihishi emphasized that the progress achieved by Madinah in the IMD index is the result of fruitful integrated efforts between government agencies. He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and all government sectors for their efforts in supporting digital initiatives and achieving technical and human integration to reach this national achievement. He indicated that this achievement is a motivating milestone to continue joint work and accelerate the pace of digital transformation in Madinah, to become more prepared, sustainable and innovative in serving its residents and visitors from all over the world.
It is worth mentioning that the IMD Smart Cities Index is one of the most prominent global indicators adopted to measure the performance of cities in the fields of intelligence and digital transformation, based on a set of dimensions related to economic performance, technology, government services, and quality of life. It is issued by the Center for Competitiveness of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. Six Saudi cities excelled in this year’s index, namely Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Madinah, Al-Ula, and Al-Khobar, which reflects the national direction in supporting the path of smart cities, and confirms the advanced global position of the Kingdom in leading an urban model that relies on technology, innovation, and sustainability.
