City Rating 2025: Stuttgart surpasses Cologne in smart city ranking
In the recently released Bitkom Smart City Index 2025, Munich has once again claimed the title of Germany's smartest city, scoring 90.2 points out of a possible 100. The index, which evaluates over 13,500 data points for 83 cities, ranks cities based on their performance in administration, energy and environment, IT and communication, mobility, and society and education.
Munich's top position is due in part to its strong performance in all categories. It ranks 6th in administration with 93.8 points, 2nd in IT and communication with 92.6 points, 1st in mobility with 100 points, and 1st in society and education with 96.2 points.
Hamburg follows closely behind in second place, with a score of 89.6, just 0.6 points behind Munich. The city excels in IT and communication, with 95.7 points, mobility with 99.9 points, and society and education with 94.9 points.
The gap at the top is narrowing, with just 2.2 points between the top three, and only 5.5 points between the top ten.
One of the most significant changes in this year's index is the fast rise of Hannover, which advanced from 41st place last year into the top 10 this year. Along with Hannover, Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, and Leipzig are all newly entering the top tier of the index.
Hannover has improved significantly, jumping 34 places to rank 7th. Leipzig is also new to the top 10, ranking 9th.
Nürnberg, with a score of 85.3 points, ranks 8th overall, thanks to its strong performance in administration with 97.5 points and society and education with 93.0 points.
Heidelberg, with a score of 84.7 points, ranks 10th overall, due to its high score in administration with 97.0 points.
Other cities that have fallen out of the top 10 this year include Ulm, Freiburg im Breisgau, Dresden, and Lübeck.
The Smart City Index is an interactive online map, providing a comprehensive overview of the smartest cities in Germany. For those interested in the digital transformation of cities, regions, and authorities, the Smart Country Convention is an event not to be missed. The convention, taking place from September 30 to October 2, 2025, at the Berlin exhibition grounds, brings together experts from business, politics, administration, and research. Over 650 high-profile speakers will be present on seven stages, including Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digitalization and State Modernization, and Karin Prien, Federal Minister for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Visitors can also expect over 400 exhibitors and diverse continuing education opportunities on-site.
Ingolstadt, with a score of 86.6 points in energy and environment, ranks 1st in this category. Regensburg, with a score of 81.4 points, ranks 5th in energy and environment, while Trier, with a score of 82.3 points, ranks 4th.
Ulm ranks 7th in energy and environment with 80.7 points, while Münster ranks 8th with 80.2 points. Krefeld ranks 8th in administration with 93.5 points and 41st overall with 71.4 points, while Gelsenkirchen ranks 8th in IT and communication with 87.7 points and 48th overall with 69.0 points.
Darmstadt ranks 9th in society and education with 91.6 points and 17th overall with 80.6 points, while Oldenburg ranks 9th in energy and environment with 80.1 points and 6th in IT and communication with 87.8 points, but only 34th overall with 75.6 points.
Dortmund ranks 4th in administration with 96.1 points and 23rd overall with 79.6 points, while Köln ranks 5th in administration with 94.8 points, 5th in mobility with 97.8 points, and 4th overall with 87.9 points.
Stuttgart ranks 3rd overall with 88.0 points, thanks to its strong performance in energy and environment with 84.1 points, IT and communication with 87.3 points, mobility with 91.6 points, and society and education with 90.8 points.
Dresden ranks 18th overall with 80.4 points, thanks to its strong performance in mobility with 98.2 points, society and education with 100.8 points, and administration with 96.1 points.
Bochum ranks 2nd in the Smart City Index, with a score of 97.3 points in administration, 7th in IT and communication with 87.8 points, and 7th in society and education with 92.7 points. The overall score is 5th with 87.4 points.
Frankfurt am Main ranks 25th overall with 79.1 points, thanks to its strong performance in IT and communication with 88.3 points. Kiel ranks 31st overall with 77.8 points, thanks to its strong performance in IT and communication with 89.6 points.
Mönchengladbach ranks 30th overall with 78.4 points, thanks to its strong performance in society and education with 91.7 points, while Mönchengladbach ranks 8th in society and education with 91.7 points.
Overall, the Bitkom Smart City Index 2025 provides a valuable insight into the digital transformation of cities in Germany, highlighting the areas where cities excel and those where they need to improve. For those interested in the digital transformation of cities, the Smart Country Convention is an event not to be missed.
