Dubai Ranks Second in BCG Intelligent Cities Index
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Dubai has ranked second globally in Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) inaugural Intelligent Cities Index, behind London and ahead of New York City, Washington, DC, and Amsterdam.
The BCG Intelligent Cities Index 2026 assesses how effectively cities use artificial intelligence, digital capabilities, and governance to improve outcomes for residents. The study covers 61 cities across 39 countries.
The index evaluates cities across five domains: resident outcomes, intelligent city strategy, adoption, ways of working, and enablers. While London ranked first overall, no single city led across all five areas.
Dubai emerged as the global leader in adoption, reflecting its deployment of AI and smart city applications. Madrid led in strategy, New York City in ways of working, Amsterdam in enablers, and London in resident outcomes.
BCG said Dubai’s strong adoption performance is a key component of its balanced approach to intelligent city implementation, placing the emirate in the index’s highest overall maturity group. The research found that cities leading in adoption tend to deploy a broader range of smart city use cases.
“AI is a key foundation of the intelligent city,” said Akram Awad, managing director and partner at BCG and co-author of the report, noting that AI adoption and optimism are no longer limited to established technology hubs.
The study also found particularly strong enthusiasm for generative AI among residents in cities across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. BCG said intelligent city development can follow different paths, with some cities building capabilities across several areas while others concentrate on specific areas of strength.
