Seven Best Smart Cities in Ranking 2024 are in Europe - who's first?
The Smart City Index 2024 report evaluated 142 smart cities around the world based on data analysed by researchers and survey responses from 120 residents of each city. The study provides an overview of how the infrastructure and technologies available in a city affect the city's efficiency and the quality of life of its residents. This year's index was developed by the IMD World Competitiveness Centre's Smart Cities Observatory in collaboration with the World Organization for Smart Sustainable Cities (WeGO), based in Seoul, South Korea. Interestingly, no cities from North America or Africa made it into the top 20 this year, and all but three are located in Europe or Asia.
The BBC spoke to residents of the five cities that took first place in the Smart Cities Index 2024 to understand what features have the greatest impact on their lives.
Three Swiss cities made it into the top ten, including Zurich in first place and Geneva in fourth. The smaller Lausanne is ranked seventh in the index, despite having a population of only around 150,000. But the city's cosiness is actually a strong point among its residents.
Ranked eighth in the index (two places down from last year), London continues to rank highly for ease of online services, including transport booking and easy access to Wi-Fi.
According to the Smart Cities 2024 index, here are the top ten smartest cities in the world:
1. Zurich
2. Oslo
3. Canberra
4. Geneva
5. Singapore
6. Copenhagen
7. Lausanne
8. London
9. Helsinki
10. Abu Dhabi