Manila has further declined in the 2024 Smart City Index published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), falling to 125th place out of 146 cities. This marks a continued downward trend from its previous rankings: 121st in 2023, 115th in 2022, 100th in 2021, and 95th in 2020.
The Smart City Index, developed by Switzerland-based IMD in partnership with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), evaluates cities based on residents’ perceptions of the structures and technology available in their localities.
It aims to provide a balanced assessment of both economic and technological development as well as quality-of-life factors, such as environment, inclusiveness, and governance.
The index is built on two key pillars:
- Structures – referring to a city’s existing infrastructure
- Technology – referring to the technological services and tools available to residents
These are evaluated across five key areas: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance. Cities receive a rating ranging from AAA to D for each pillar. In 2024, Manila received a “C” rating in both categories.
As part of the assessment, residents were asked to identify the most pressing issues in their city. In Manila, the most frequently cited concerns were:
- Corruption and transparency (61.2%)
- Health services (52.1%)
- Road congestion (46%)
- Unemployment (44.8%)
- Air pollution (42.8%)
Other areas of concern included public transport, security, affordable housing, basic amenities, fulfilling employment, education, recycling, green spaces, citizen engagement, and social mobility.
The top-ranking cities in the 2024 Smart City Index are Zurich (Switzerland), Oslo (Norway), Geneva (Switzerland), Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE), London (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Canberra (Australia), Singapore, and Lausanne (Switzerland).
Cities at the bottom of the list include Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Sana’a (Yemen), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Beirut (Lebanon), Tunis (Tunisia), Accra (Ghana), Caracas (Venezuela), Rome (Italy), Lima (Peru), and São Paulo (Brazil).