Smart City Index 2025: Munich remains at the top, Stuttgart makes it onto the podium

Munich is Germany's smartest city for the third time in a row – but the gap to its closest rival is shrinking. With 90.2 out of a possible 100 points, the Bavarian capital leads the Smart City Index, with Hamburg just 0.6 points behind with 89.6 points. Stuttgart has made it onto the podium with 88.0 points, narrowly edging out Cologne for third 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,’ explains Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. ‘Smart cities noticeably improve people's quality of life – through efficient administrations, diverse mobility options and better environmental and climate protection.’

Hanover makes history

Hanover made the biggest leap in this year's ranking: within a year, the city improved by a full 34 places to land in seventh place – no city has ever risen so high before.

94 per cent of administrative services are now available digitally in accordance with the Online Access Act (OZG), compared to just 50 per cent a year ago. In addition, an open smart city data platform, comprehensive environmental monitoring and a digital participation platform for citizens have been introduced.

‘Hanover is an inspiration for all cities. Its rapid progress shows how digitalisation can be advanced: by setting ambitious goals, developing measures and, above all, implementing them,’ emphasises Wintergerst.

Rising stars, falling stars and new faces in the top 10

In addition to Hanover, Düsseldorf (6th place, previously 17th), Leipzig (9th place, previously 23rd) and Heidelberg (10th place, previously 15th) have also made it into the top 10. In contrast, some cities have lost ground significantly: Dresden has fallen from 5th to 18th place, Freiburg im Breisgau from 6th to 13th, and Lübeck from 8th to 19th.

There has also been a lot of movement across the board: Bremen has improved by 29 places to 42nd, Offenbach has risen by 23 places to 49th, and Bremerhaven by 18 places to 58th. Losers include Kaiserslautern (down 24 places to 68th) and Bergisch Gladbach (down 15 places to 77th). Salzgitter remains at the bottom of the table with 42.5 points.

‘The Smart City Index is a snapshot. The examples show that every city can make huge progress in a short period of time – but also that you can't rest on your laurels,’ says Wintergerst.

Hidden champions of digitalisation

In addition to the frontrunners, there are numerous ‘hidden champions’. Nuremberg, for example, is ‘only’ in 8th place in the overall ranking, but tops the administration category with 97.5 points. Ingolstadt ranks 28th overall, but leads in energy and environment with 86.6 points. It is striking that seven of the ten best cities in this category have fewer than 200,000 inhabitants – so smaller cities can certainly compete at the top.

Other examples also demonstrate the diversity: Krefeld ranks 41st overall, but is in the top 10 for administration. Gelsenkirchen ranks 48th, but is also among the top ten for IT and communication. Newcomer Cottbus has to settle for 81st place, but scores highly in society and education, ranking 17th.

‘The Smart City Index shows how committed local representatives and citizens are to promoting digital solutions. The message is clear: it's not just big cities that can be smart cities – every city can become smarter,’ summarises Wintergerst.

Regional trends and federal states in comparison

In a comparison of federal states, large cities in Baden-Württemberg once again perform best, achieving an average of 78.2 points. They are followed by Bavaria (75.1 points) and Saxony (74.5 points). Hesse made particularly significant gains, improving from 64.5 to 72.7 points. Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia scored below average, although the number of large cities also influences the results here.

State capitals, university cities and the federally funded Smart Cities (MPSC) model projects are particularly popular. Cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants also perform above average.

More than 13,500 data points & highest data quality

The Smart City Index 2025 is based on 13,529 data points – 245 more than in the previous year. All 83 German cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants were evaluated. The analysis covers five areas: administration, IT and communication, energy and the environment, mobility, and society and education.

All cities provided their own data with sources that were verified by Bitkom Research. This means that the study achieved a response rate of 100 per cent this year.

Setting the stage for digitalisation: Smart Country Convention 2025

The winning cities will be officially honoured on 30 September at the Smart Country Convention in Berlin.

Further information on the Smart City Index and the interactive online map is available at: https://www.bitkom.org/Smart-City-Index.