Dubai takes second place in global intelligent cities ranking

Dubai has ranked second worldwide in Boston Consulting Group’s inaugural Intelligent Cities Index, placing behind London and ahead of New York, Washington and Amsterdam.

The benchmark assessed 61 major cities across 39 countries on how effectively they use artificial intelligence and digital technology to serve residents and businesses. Dubai received an overall score of 80, compared with London’s 85, and was classified among the five cities demonstrating the highest level of technological maturity.

The emirate recorded leading-level performance in technology adoption and government working practices. Its scores reflected widespread use of digital services, coordinated implementation across public bodies and the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday government operations.

New York, Washington and Amsterdam also scored 80, but Dubai occupied second place in the published leaderboard. Berlin ranked sixth with 78, followed by San Francisco and Shanghai on 77. Abu Dhabi placed 20th with a score of 72, while Riyadh ranked 33rd with 67.

The index examined five areas: outcomes, strategy, adoption, ways of working and enabling conditions. These were divided into 14 dimensions and measured through 35 quantitative and qualitative indicators. Resident outcomes, adoption and enabling conditions each carried a weighting of 25 per cent. Ways of working accounted for 15 per cent and strategy for 10 per cent.

Indicators covered quality of life, economic opportunities, public engagement, generative AI use, satisfaction with smart-city applications, digital government portals, governance, public-private partnerships, infrastructure, technology, funding and skilled talent.

Dubai’s position reflects more than two decades of investment in digital government. The city launched its first e-government programme in 2001, shifted towards smart government in 2013 and completed its paperless government programme in 2021.

Government services had reached a digitisation rate of 99.5 per cent when Dubai’s Digital Strategy was introduced in 2023. Digital transactions represented 87 per cent of all government service transactions, while the elimination of paper processes saved more than AED1.3 billion and over 14 million working hours.

The focus has since moved from digitising individual services to building connected systems capable of anticipating users’ needs. Dubai authorities are integrating services for residents and businesses into a unified platform, with government data and AI expected to support faster decisions and more personalised interactions.

That programme is designed to reduce the need for users to navigate separate government departments. Instead, services would be organised around events such as establishing a business, moving home, obtaining residency documents or managing transport and utility payments.

The Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence has provided another layer to the strategy. Launched in 2024, the annual plan seeks to expand AI use across government, develop supporting infrastructure, attract international companies and talent, and encourage investment in advanced technology industries.

Dubai has also introduced an AI Integration Matrix to help government entities measure adoption, identify institutional gaps and move from isolated pilot projects towards broader deployment. The framework focuses on governance, data readiness, operating models, workforce capabilities and the practical value generated by AI systems.

The city’s digital agenda is closely tied to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy during the decade to 2033. Digital transformation is expected to contribute AED100 billion annually to the economy as technology becomes more deeply embedded in finance, transport, trade, tourism, property and public administration.

Officials are also targeting 90 per cent cashless transactions across the government and private sectors during 2026. The policy is intended to improve payment efficiency, strengthen financial technology adoption and generate better data for planning and service design.

The index nevertheless shows that Dubai has areas where further progress is possible. While it achieved leading status in adoption and ways of working, it was rated at the accelerating level for resident outcomes, strategy and enabling conditions.

That distinction highlights the challenge facing cities that deploy technology rapidly. Digital systems must translate into measurable improvements in affordability, inclusion, economic mobility and public trust. Governments must also maintain cybersecurity, data protection and accountability as automated decision-making becomes more common.

The study found that no city led in all five domains. London’s first-place position was supported by strong resident outcomes, while other leading cities followed different routes based on infrastructure, institutional coordination, investment or technology use.