Munich is Germany's smartest city for the third time in a row – but the gap to Hamburg in second place is now razor thin. Stuttgart climbs onto the podium, displacing Cologne from third place. There are also several other changes in the digital ranking of German cities. Hanover, for example, has jumped 34 places to seventh in the top 10, making it the city that has improved the most within a year. Also new to the top 10 are Düsseldorf (sixth place, previous year: 17th), Leipzig (ninth place, previous year: 23rd) and Heidelberg (tenth place, previous year: 15th). In contrast, Ulm (11th place, previous year: 10th), Freiburg im Breisgau (13th place, previous year: 6th), Dresden (18th place, previous year: 5th) and Lübeck (19th place, previous year: 8th) have dropped out of the top ten.

These are the results of the Smart City Index, which the digital association Bitkom has calculated for the seventh time this year. Munich achieved 90.2 out of a possible 100 points (up 1.9 points), while Hamburg scored 89.6 points (up 5.7), putting it just 0.6 points behind the top spot. With 88.0 points and a minimal lead, Stuttgart pushes Cologne out of third place (87.9 points). Overall, cities are becoming more digital: last year, 79.8 points were enough for a top 10 ranking, and in 2023 it will be only 76.6 points, but now it is 84.7 points. And the gap at the top is getting smaller and smaller, with only 2.2 points separating first and third place, and just 5.5 points between first and tenth place.

"Germany's cities are making great strides in digitalisation. This applies to the frontrunners, but above all to the entire spectrum of all 83 major German cities that we examine in the Smart City Index. Smart cities noticeably improve people's quality of life, whether through efficient and citizen-oriented administration, diverse mobility options or improved environmental and climate protection," says Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. ‘Hanover is an inspiration for all cities. The rapid progress made within a year shows how digitalisation can be advanced: by setting ambitious goals, developing measures and, above all, implementing them.’

In Hanover (overall ranking: 85.8 points), 94 per cent of the administrative services examined are now digitally available in accordance with the Online Access Act (OZG) – a year ago, the figure was only 50 per cent. At the same time, a smart city data platform was introduced within a year, providing the business community, academia and politicians with extensive data free of charge. Environmental monitoring has been significantly expanded and a digital participation platform for citizens has been launched, through which more than 20 projects have already been discussed and completed.

Bremen (70.6 points) also rose sharply, improving by 29 places to 42nd. Offenbach (68.9 points) climbed 23 places to 49th, and Bremerhaven (65.7 points) climbed 18 places to 58th. ‘The Smart City Index is a snapshot. The examples show that every city can make huge strides in digitalisation in a short period of time. At the same time, it is clear that no one can rest on their laurels,’ says Wintergerst.

Accordingly, there are some cities that are falling significantly behind. Kaiserslautern (59.1 points) has lost 24 places and now ranks 68th, while Bergisch Gladbach (55.9 points) has slipped 15 places to 77th. Salzgitter (42.5 points) remains at the bottom of the ranking in 83rd place, ahead of Remscheid (44.2 points) in 82nd place.

Looking at the rankings in the individual categories, overall winner Munich also takes first place in society and education with 96.2 points, while the Bavarian capital even achieves a full 100 points in mobility. Second-placed Hamburg takes the top spot in IT and communication with 95.7 points. But even cities that did not make it onto the winners' podium in the overall ranking have their strengths. Nuremberg came in 8th place in the overall ranking, but is top in administration (97.5 points). Ingolstadt ranks 28th overall, but comes first in energy and the environment (86.6 points). In this category, it is also striking that smaller cities in particular excel: seven of the ten best cities in the energy and environment category have fewer than 200,000 inhabitants.

Other cities also perform significantly better in individual categories than in the overall ranking. Krefeld, for example, ranks 41st in the overall ranking, but comes in 8th in the administration category. Gelsenkirchen ranks 48th in the overall ranking, but is also in the top 10 in IT and communication, coming in 8th. And newcomer Cottbus has to settle for 81st place in the overall ranking, but ranks 17th in society and education.

‘The Smart City Index highlights the diverse efforts of committed local representatives and citizens. The message is: it's not just the big cities that can become smart cities; every city can become smarter,’ says Wintergerst. For the first time, Bitkom is presenting detailed results for the cities online, as well as examples of best practice in smart cities. ‘We must increasingly promote established digital solutions and bring them to a wider audience,’ says Wintergerst. ‘And we need a change in awareness. Digital public services are not a nice-to-have, but a core government task. This also means that the smart city must be financed on a permanent basis and must not be dependent on short-term project durations.’ Bitkom is also calling for the smart city roadmap from June 2024 to be implemented promptly and for innovation-friendly procurement to be enabled so that local authorities can benefit in particular from the digital offerings of start-ups and small businesses, which have often not been able to bid for public contracts in the past.

As in previous years, large cities in Baden-Württemberg perform significantly better than average. They achieve an average of 78.2 points (2024: 74.1 points). They are followed by Bavaria (75.1 points, 2024: 72.2 points) and Saxony (74.5 points, 2024: 71.8 points). Hesse has improved measurably, from 64.5 to 72.7 points. Rhineland-Palatinate (69.6 points, 2024: 68.1 points), Lower Saxony (68.6 points, 2024: 64.2 points) and North Rhine-Westphalia (68.5 points, 2024: 66.2 points). However, the number of cities included in the ranking also varies significantly between the federal states – for example, there are 30 large cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, but only 5 in Rhineland-Palatinate. No statement can be made for federal states with fewer than three large cities. Large cities with 500,000 or more inhabitants and the Smart Cities (MPSC) model projects funded by the federal government also perform above average. State capitals and university cities are also above average. "Not all cities have the same starting conditions. But the Smart City Index shows that with a clear strategy, clear responsibilities and the courage to change, every city can become more digital and smarter," says Wintergerst.

A total of 13,529 data points were collected, checked and qualified for the Smart City Index, which is 245 more than in the previous year. All cities with a population of more than 100,000 were analysed and evaluated. This year, there are 83, one more than last year, as Cottbus has achieved the status of a major city. The five subject areas examined were administration, IT and communication, energy and the environment, mobility, and society and education. The five areas are broken down into 37 indicators, which in turn consist of a total of 163 parameters (one more than in 2024) – from online citizen services and sharing options in urban transport and environmental sensor technology to broadband availability and digital training for teachers and administrative staff. Local authorities were actively involved in the data collection process. The cities were able to provide data on digitalisation, each with sources. This year, for the first time, all cities made use of this opportunity, resulting in a response rate of 100 per cent (previous year: 99 per cent). The data was then reviewed and validated by a team of experts from Bitkom Research. The Smart City Index is supported by Visa, PwC Germany and Bentley Systems.

This year, the official award ceremony for Germany's smartest cities will once again take place on the Plaza Stage at the Smart Country Convention – the leading event for digitalisation in the public sector. From 30 September to 2 October, more than 18,000 experts from business, politics, administration and research will gather at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds to discuss current challenges for the public sector. More than 650 high-profile speakers are expected on a total of seven stages, including Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digitalisation and State Modernisation, and Karin Prien, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Visitors can also look forward to over 400 exhibitors and a wide range of training opportunities on site. The combination of congress, workshops, expo and networking is aimed at decision-makers and employees from administration, politics, the digital economy, associations and science.

The ranking of the 83 major German cities with the results in all sub-areas is available as an interactive online map at www.smart-city-index.de.

Note on methodology: All German cities with a population of 100,000 or more (as of 31 December 2023) were examined. The index values are based on verifiable information provided by the municipalities or publicly available data sources. All cities were given the opportunity to provide the data themselves and to substantiate it with sources. All cities took advantage of this opportunity. The 37 indicators are calculated from 163 parameters per city and a total of 13,529 data points. All indicators were standardised, i.e. converted to a scale of 0 to 100.

The Smart Country Convention is the leading event for the digital state and public services. With over 18,000 participants, SCCON is the meeting place for everyone involved in the digitalisation of the public sector. The combination of congress, workshops, expo and networking is aimed at employees from administration, politics, the digital economy, associations and science. SCCON is organised by Bitkom e.V. and Messe Berlin.

You can also find this press release on the Internet: www.smartcountry.berlin

Press photos of the Smart Country Convention in printable quality can be downloaded here. Videos about the event and the topics of the Smart Country Convention can be found here.