Four Saudi cities topped the 2023 IMD Smart Cities Index, published by the International Institute for Management Development, which ranks 118 cities around the world.
Riyadh ranked third as the smartest Arab city, while Makkah joined the index for the first time, coming fourth in the Arab world, and Jeddah ranked fifth, while Medina ranked seventh. Riyadh ranked third as the smartest Arab city, while the city of Makkah joined the index for the first time, coming in fourth place in the Arab world, Jeddah ranked fifth, and Medina ranked seventh.
Worldwide, Riyadh ranked seventh. <Globally, Riyadh ranked 30th, Makkah ranked 52nd, Jeddah ranked 56th, and Medina ranked 85th. <According to CNN, the IMD's Smart Cities Index is based on two pillars: the infrastructure of cities and the technological services available to residents.
The IMD Smart Cities Index focuses on how residents perceive the scope and impact of efforts to make their cities smart, the extent to which they balance economic and technical aspects while not losing sight of the human dimensions, and the extent to which they contribute to bridging the gap between the aspirations and needs of residents and modern trends in building smart cities.
This index is one of the first of its kind in the world. It is a valuable tool for leaders, policymakers and researchers to assess the performance of smart cities and identify areas for improvement, as it provides a comprehensive framework for assessing cities across a range of dimensions, including economic, technical and governance performance.
The Smart Cities Index is one of the global indices that assess the readiness of the world's cities, and is a valuable tool for leaders, policymakers and researchers to assess the performance of smart cities and identify areas for improvement. <National efforts from all parties, as well as the use of advanced technologies, have contributed to improving the ranking of Saudi cities in various sub-indices, including the National Smart Cities Platform launched by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)
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