Eight Saudi cities made a notable showing in the IMD Smart City Index 2026, published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). The result reflects faster development and improving quality of life across the Kingdom’s cities, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Riyadh advanced to 24th globally from 27th. Makkah ranked 50th, Jeddah 55th, Madinah 67th, and Al-Khobar 64th.
AlUla recorded a significant leap, climbing from 112th to 85th. The result points to the rapid progress of its development and tourism projects.
The index also listed Hail and Hafar Al-Batin Governorate for the first time. Hail ranked 33rd, while Hafar Al-Batin placed 100th among 148 cities worldwide.
The IMD Smart City Index is a global benchmark that measures how far cities have advanced in adopting modern technologies. It does so by assessing residents’ views of service quality, digital infrastructure, and their impact on daily life.
This strong progress underscores the Kingdom’s continued efforts to upgrade urban services and build smart, sustainable cities that improve quality of life and strengthen global competitiveness, as Saudi Arabia marks 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence.
Source: Riyadh Daily