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An insight on Euromonitor International Sustainable Travel Index

• 23 June 2022
• Posted by: Twissen
• Category: Policies & funding

Climate change, which represents the biggest threat to people as well as to the planet, calls into question the future of the tourism sector that, for its part, accounts for 8% of global emissions . According to Euromonitor International’s Sustainable Travel Index of 2021 , the top 20 positions of the Sustainable Travel Index Ranking are held by European countries. This result has been reached especially thanks to the EU’s Green Deal, whose objective is leading Europe to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Sweden , with a remarkable performance in the environmental sustainability pillar, ranks first. This country offers many green and eco-chic travel experiences with Nature’s Best certified tour operators.

In order to mitigate the impact of climate change, there is the urgence to focus on mobility and transport , accounting for 25% of the EU’s total emissions . The aim would be lowering emissions by 90% by 2050. Digitalisation, improved ticketing options, cross-border and long-distance rail, and waterway infrastructure are among the key proposals to reach the aim.

As for Italy , the country ranks 27th  in the Sustainable Travel Index, while it is not even present within the first 15 positions of the Sustainable Transport Ranking, a clear sign that there is much more work to be done to improve travel and transport conditions in the country. 

At Twissen we observe that Europe dominates the framework of sustainable travel. However, it is now fundamental to implement and adopt strategies and policies that lower carbon emissions, not only in the Old Continent but also in the rest of the world. The ultimate goal would be to make tourism a less polluting and more “responsible” industry, since sustainability is now becoming the fundamental prerequisite for the future development of the sector . 

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Soren Buchheister Communications Executive - Euromonitor International Tel: +49 (0) 211 890944 23 [email protected]

Release Summary

According to Euromonitor’s new Sustainable Travel Index, Scandinavia is leading by example in its engagement towards sustainable travel.

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Sweden Beats 98 Countries; Ranked First in Global Sustainable Tourism

Sweden has been ranked first in Euromonitor International's Sustainable Travel Index , which ranks 99 countries worldwide based on their commitment to sustainable tourism. 

"Sweden is a leader in lifecycle appraisal analysis, which is crucial to understanding the full effect of customer behavior and usage patterns," said Caroline Bremner, head of travel for Euromonitor International.

She emphasized that Sweden protects Arctic ice and permafrost, which help to slow climate change, and that the country is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals .

The Scandinavian country was followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia as well as Norway, based on the recent report released by the independent provider of strategic market research, Euromonitor International, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to the survey, European countries have been placed in the top 20 places in the Sustainable Travel Index for the 2020s, which takes into account environmental factors and social effects on many countries, among other items.

Related Article:  Electricity: Alternative Renewable Sources Beat Fossil Fuels for First Time in History

Determining Factors

The ranking of countries was based on seven main factors of sustainable tourism, according to Euromonitor International :

• Environmental sustainability
• Social sustainability
• Economic sustainability
• Sustainable demand
• Sustainable transport
• Sustainable lodging

Sustainable Travel Index 2020

The top 20 countries on the Sustainable Travel Ranking for 2020 are as follows.

• Switzerland
• Czech Republic
• Netherlands

According to the Sustainable Travel Index, Bolivia, New Zealand, and Canada have also made strides in terms of clean transportation.

The United States was ranked 35th, followed by the United Kingdom (40th), South Africa (46th), and Japan (53rd).

Continued Search

Euromonitor International conducts research and collects data on a broad range of goods and services around the world.

"Travel bans, social sanctions, and emerging health protocols have continued to threaten the travel and tourism industry one year later. According to the firm, the global pandemic revealed vulnerabilities in conventional volume-driven tourism models, which are no longer fit for purpose in the post-pandemic period.

Why is it Being Monitored

According to Euromonitor International, the Sustainable Travel Index was developed to assist travel companies in transitioning to a "more sustainable and purpose-driven model," which will be critical in the future.

The new survey on sustainable tourism showed that 66.4 percent of customers worldwide want to see a positive effect on the climate by their daily activities by 2021.

World Tourism Organization

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also urged a sustainable and healthy regeneration of the tourism industry during a discussion at ITB Berlin Now, a multimedia meeting of the global travel sector that aims to support the travel and tourism market, which is currently facing several challenges due to the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

Portugal has also been identified as one of the European countries that supports the European Union Member States' joint efforts to identify ambitious, long-term solutions to revitalize the tourism industry in EU countries.

The Airports Council International Europe (ACI) has previously advised the European Commission to ensure that airports can use the €672.5 billion EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to help finance their sustainable strategies.

Over 60 organizations from across Europe have campaigned for tourism to be included in the EU's national recovery and resilience strategies.

ALSO READ:  Agrivoltaics: The Answer to Water Demand, Carbon Emissions, and Rural Areas

For more news about  sustainability , don't forget to follow Nature World News!

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Sustainable travel index: european countries rank highest.

Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden, Finland, Austria, Estonia, and Norway rank at the top of Euromonitor International’s Sustainable Travel Index

Having developed a ' Sustainable Travel Index' , the global market research company Euromonitor International has released a report identifying how 99 countries rank in terms of sustainable tourism.

In its report, Euromonitor International explains how it developed the aforementioned index; that is, countries were assessed and ranked based on 7 key factors that make up sustainable tourism:

• Environmental sustainability
• Social sustainability
• Economic sustainability
• Sustainable demand
• Sustainable transport
• Sustainable lodging

European countries rank at the top

While the Euromonitor International assessed countries from all over the world, European countries ranked highest. In fact, they make up the entire Top 20 list of the Sustainable Travel Index.

• Switzerland
• Czech Republic
• Netherlands

With Sweden and Finland ranking at the top of the list, the report has labelled Scandinavia as 'exemplary'. Moreover, it commented on the leading country, noting that it acts as proof that being sustainable can help enhance travel and tourism.

It is important to recall that  the flygskam – or flight shaming – movement  originated in Sweden. As such, the country encourages alternative travel methods and thereby ensures sustainable transport. Euromonitor International also attributes Sweden's high rank in the Sustainable Travel Index to its "award-winning Nordic eco-chic architecture and design".

Like most countries in its region, Sweden is dedicated and committed to fighting climate change, becoming carbon neutral and moving towards a carbon-free circular economy. Taking all of this into account, it is not surprising that European (and especially Scandinavian) countries rank highest in the Sustainable Travel Index.

The full report ‘Top Countries For Sustainable Tourism: Embracing a Green Transformation For Travel Recovery ’ can be found on and downloaded from the Euromonitor International’s website here.

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These Are the World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destinations

If you would prefer to travel to places that are taking climate action seriously, euromonitor international recently ranked the world’s countries based on their approach to sustainable travel and tourism. here’s which destinations topped the list..

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Almost all of the most sustainable travel destinations are in Europe, including the top spot—Sweden.

Steven Erixon/Unsplash

Travel, as enjoyable and transformative as it can be, often comes with a heavy environmental footprint . From carbon emissions associated with flights to the overdevelopment of natural habitats, the consequences of mass tourism are often disheartening. But, a growing number of countries are paving a path to more sustainable tourism, recognizing that travel can be as much as part of the solution as it is part of the problem.

Euromonitor International , a global market research company, recently released its 2023 Sustainable Travel Index, which identifies the top 20 most sustainable countries for travel in the world. According to Caroline Bremner, head of travel at Euromonitor International, the index utilizes 56 ranking indicators to determine the performance of sustainable travel in the various countries. Of those, she said, there are three main types of indicators:

• General indicators that relate to the health of a destination in terms of happiness, equality, and social justice
• Indicators that quantify the specific impacts of tourism on the local environment such as hotel energy use
• The general state of tourism such as quality of infrastructure or dependency on international demand

Notably, all but one are in Europe (the outlier being in South America).

The World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destination

Sweden is the world’s most sustainable travel destination, according to Euromonitor International’s 2023 Sustainable Travel Index. This may not come as a huge surprise to many, considering Visit Sweden has a goal of making itself “the world’s most sustainable and attractive destination based on innovation” by 2030 and has made huge investments in time and money into that mission. Some of Sweden’s sustainable travel programs include having all the public transit in Stockholm run on 100 percent renewable energy (a feat accomplished in 2017), pushing for more than 250 hotels and accommodations to meet the strict requirements of the Nordic Ecolabel, a rigorous environmental certification program, and introducing an ecotourism charter called Nature’s Best (which certifies tour operators that focus on sustainable travel).

Finland came in right behind Sweden in the global ranking of sustainable destinations.

Saikrishna Saketh/Unsplash

The World’s Most Sustainable Travel Destinations in 2023

• Switzerland
• Czech Republic

Sweden, Bremner said, has been in the top spot for over the past few years. One of the reasons she credited is Sweden’s flight-shaming movement.

“It continues to have a positive impact with a major drop in the number of domestic flights taken, dropping from 6.6 percent of trips to 2.7 percent,“ Bremner said.

She also pointed to the fact that Sweden and Finland share some similarities that put them at the top of the list regarding cultural heritage, including that they have no UNESCO World Heritage Sites in danger, which significantly helped to boost their rankings.

For Austria, Bremner noted that the country ranked first on the social sustainability standpoint, which includes a focus on equality, decent jobs, fair distribution of income, access to basic needs, health, and inclusion. Overall, that helped Austria earn the third spot on the list.

Melbourne in Australia topped the list of most sustainable cities for initiatives like retrofitting buildings to lower their carbon footprint and transitioning to renewable energy.

Dmitry Osipenko/Unsplash

The Sustainable Travel Index 2023 also spotlighted the ten most sustainable city destinations, which were more spread out, with one in Australia, seven in Europe, and two in North America.

The World’s Most Sustainable Cities in 2023

• Palma de Mallorca

According to a Euromonitor International press release , Melbourne because of wide-ranging sustainability successes.

Bremner said what stood out about the Australian city “includes its retrofitting of buildings to reduce carbon footprint and transition to renewables, greening streets, along with hosting carbon neutral events for several years.“

She added that to achieve net zero by 2040, Melbourne has declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, and set out eight key priority areas and 76 action points, as part of its Emissions Reduction Plan to 2026. In its previous plan, it succeeded in reducing emissions by an impressive 76 percent, compared to the baseline. The key to decarbonization is the shift to electrification and adoption of renewables such as solar panels, which is expected to reduce not just carbon but also costs.

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Scandinavian Countries the Most Sustainable For Tourism

Greta Thunberg's home country, Sweden, came out on top in the Euromonitor International Sustainable Travel Index.

Sweden was recently ranked at the top of the Euromonitor International Sustainable Travel Index. Euromonitor International is the world's leading independent provider of strategic market research, which developed the index to the industry "transition to a more sustainable and purpose-driven model, as data shows the future and success of travel businesses will be centred around sustainable and digital transformation."

The report argues that "radical change will be essential in building resiliency and agility to futureproof the sector. Sustainable transformations will play a significant factor in the future to ensure businesses and communities can thrive."

The index called out Scandinavia for "its engagement and awareness of sustainability, where 65 percent of travel businesses already have implemented a sustainability strategy."

Sweden gained the top spot for its culturual and political environment as "the birthplace of the flygskam (flight shaming) movement and home to climate strike activist, Greta Thunberg. It is a pioneer in lifecycle assessment research that is critical to understand the full impacts of consumer behaviour and consumption patterns." The country is also working "to preserve the Arctic ice and permafrost to help stop climate change, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2045."

Other Scandinavian countries also came out well, with Finland (2), Norway (5), and Iceland (7) joining other European countries to round out the top ten.

In the Americas Canada ranked 24, Peru 31, and the U.S. was ranked 35. The world’s lowest-ranked destinations for sustainable tourism are mostly Asian and African nations, including Morocco (95), Vietnam (96), Mauritius (97), India (98), Pakistan (99).

Euromonitor’s rankings were based on seven key factors of sustainable tourism: environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, risk, sustainable tourism demand, sustainable transport, and sustainable lodging.

“As destinations around the world slowly begin to reopen while protecting local communities and preserve livelihoods, there is a growing awareness among consumers, businesses and governments for the need to prioritise not only profit but people and the planet,” Euromonitor said.

Sustainable Travel Index Top 20

• Switzerland
• Czech Republic
• Netherlands
• LGBTQ+ People Want More Out of Travel ›

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Euromonitor report reveals travellers willing to pay extra for sustainable travel

Nearly 80% of travellers will pay at least 10 per cent more for sustainable travel features despite the cost of living crisis, a Euromonitor International report has revealed.

In fact, 41% of travellers are also prepared to pay more than 30% extra for adventure and eco-tourism, according to the  Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey , mentioned in Euromonitor’s newly-released  Sustainable Travel Index 2023 .

Europe dominates the  Sustainable Travel Index 2023  taking the top 17 places. Sweden continues to top the chart, with Finland second and Austria in third. South American destination, Uruguay, has made the top 20 for the first time, moving up 15 places from the previous year.

Egypt and the Maldives are the most improved countries over the last five years. Egypt has outshone other markets by building resilient tourism, helped by its recovery after travel bans and the pandemic, and driving up average spend per arrival to increase value creation through tourism for the benefit of local communities.

Melbourne stands at the top of the sustainability pillar for Euromonitor’s  Top City Destinations Index  with an ambitious target to reach net zero emissions by 2040. It is followed by Spain’s Madrid and Seville, part of the Net Zero Cities initiative in the EU that includes 112 European cities in total.

Melbourne’s sustainability successes are wide-ranging – from retrofitting buildings to reduce their carbon footprint and transition to renewables, to greening streets, along with hosting carbon neutral events.

In terms of sustainable tourism demand, Australia, Iceland and New Zealand are the top three destinations. As longhaul destinations, Australia and New Zealand benefit from the high length of stay and New Zealand also flies the flag for regenerative tourism, going further and deeper than mere sustainability, leaving a positive legacy for generations to come aiming to give back.

Reflecting on the findings of the report, Caroline Bremner, head of travel at Euromonitor International, said: “Our  Sustainable Travel Index  uses 56 indicators across seven pillars – environmental, social, economic, risk, demand, transport and lodgings – determining the comparative performance of sustainable travel and tourism for 99 countries through scores and weightings to produce an overall ranking.

“There are three main types of indicators. The health of a destination relating to happiness, equality and social justice, then the specific impacts of tourism on the local environment such as hotel energy use, followed by the general state of tourism such as quality of infrastructure or dependency on international demand.

“Looking to the future, the  Sustainable Travel Index  highlights green technology and digitalising the traveller journey as two sure-fire ways to help achieve the road to net zero. Partnering with new start-ups in the green tech space could help pave the way for a greener and cleaner travel future.”

The Sustainable Travel Index can be downloaded here .

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Posted on March 22 2021

Sweden tops the Sustainable Travel Index among 99 countries

As per a Report – Top Countries for Sustainable Tourism – by Euromonitor International, “Sweden tops the Sustainable Travel Index in 2020 and proves sustainability can enhance the travel experience”.

Creating data and analysis on various services and products worldwide, Euromonitor International is the leading independent provider of strategic market research globally.

Providing market research solutions that connect an organization’s goals with global opportunities, the research expertise of Euromonitor International enables many to better understand future product demand.

The data included in the Report is as per Passport, Euromonitor International’s market research database [at time of publication: March 2021].

While stating that the recovery for the travel and tourism industry would “become less linear” with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the Report finds that “social and environmental values will be at the core of new strategies”.

As destinations around the world gradually begin to reopen – while protecting the local communities – and preserve livelihoods, there is a growing awareness across businesses, consumers, as well as governments for the need of prioritizing “not only profit but people and the planet”.

Though domestic tourism might help with recovery in the short to mid-term, radical change will be essential for building resilience and agility for futureproofing the sector.

With the United Nations [UN] Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] serving as a blueprint, travel and tourism businesses are coming together to declare a climate emergency.

According to the Report, “Sustainable transformations will play a significant factor in the future to ensure businesses and communities can thrive in a post-COVID age.”

Euromonitor International has developed a Sustainable Travel Index for assisting destinations and travel businesses to shift to a more sustainable tourism model.

Each of the countries on the Euromonitor International’s Sustainable Travel Index was analyzed across 7 key pillars that constitute sustainable tourism.

These sustainable travel pillars were used for assessing 99 countries.

Overall, 57 data indicators were used for coming to the final index ranking in order to determine the comparative performance of countries.

Sweden tops the Sustainable Travel Index in 2020, proving sustainability can enhance the travel experience.

Sweden, as per the Report, “has focused on generating higher levels of value derived from tourism which has helped its economy, environment and society, leading to improvements across many pillars”.

The Report comes to the conclusion that there was a “clear change in mindset to resist returning to a volume-driven travel and tourism model”. Stakeholders were instead “rallying together to ‘build back better’ through value creation from sustainable tourism”.

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By Elaine Glusac

Elaine Glusac is the Frugal Traveler columnist, focusing on budget-friendly tips and journeys.

In November, managers at the Arenas del Mar resort near Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica, challenged employees to come up with ways to operate more sustainably. The maintenance crew suggested electric locks on guest room doors. The food and beverage department proposed making jams from fruit peels. And the housekeepers advised: Ditch the slippers.

“It didn’t make sense because you use them once and throw them out,” said Hans Pfister, the president and co-founder of Cayuga Collection , the hotel group that manages the resort, which took housekeeping’s advice. “It’s very wasteful.”

Like plastic straws and mini bottles of shampoo, disposable slippers — flimsy models usually made of plastic and fabric, and often found bedside at turndown or bagged in hotel closets — are the next single-use item in the cross hairs of sustainability activists.

“Anything single-use is problematic,” wrote Willy Legrand, a sustainable hospitality expert and a professor at the IU International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany, in an email. He cited the large footprint of a small slipper once you factor in production, shipping and waste. Single-use slippers, he said, “feel out of place and out of touch.”

Nina Boys, the vice president of sustainability for Beyond Green , a group of hotels vetted for their sustainability practices, called slippers “low-hanging fruit” in the fight against plastic.

Slippers as status symbols

While plastic straws can be easily replaced with paper versions and small shampoo bottles by larger dispensers, subbing for slippers is more complicated based not just on materials but cultural expectations and perceptions of luxury.

Providing slippers in hotels is rooted in the Asian tradition of removing your shoes indoors, said Diana Verde Nieto, a sustainability expert and the author of “ Reimagining Luxury .”

“As hotels started to cater to international guests, particularly those from Asia, the provision of slippers became a way to accommodate and respect these cultural norms,” Ms. Verde Nieto wrote in an email. She added that the comfort and hygiene associated with slippers has become a universal luxury standard today.

Offering slippers also helps hotels earn status ratings from travel organizations like AAA or the European Union’s Hotelstars .

Some resorts have found it easier to address sustainability through food waste and community engagement than footwear. Winvian , the boutique resort with 18 cottages and one suite on 113 acres in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, grows about 70 percent of its produce on the property and built a cottage from the wood cleared at the site. Guests receive reusable sandals in the spa, but in the rooms, visitors will find plusher designs that they are encouraged to take home and reuse; about half do and the rest are discarded.

“The problem is, it’s one of those things that people have come to expect,” said Heather Smith Winkelmann, the managing director of the resort.

Ivan Bauza is the director of sales and marketing at the Setai , a luxury hotel in Miami Beach. “Our guests are very demanding and expect everything brand-new,” he said, adding that amenities like full-size bottles of shampoo and slippers that are intended for guests to take home — occasionally including trendy models from the boutique brand Brunch — “shows the luxury aspect” of hospitality.

‘Rethinking’ slippers

The waste associated with disposable slippers is sizable, according to Mr. Legrand of IU, who calculated that high-end hotels in the United States with an average occupancy of 63 percent might discard more than 10 million pairs of slippers a month.

In a 2018 study, Chekitan S. Dev, a professor in the hospitality school at Cornell University, tracked 50 hotel amenities to determine how much they were used. Only 27 percent of guests used bathrobes supplied in the rooms. “We didn’t study slippers, but can safely assume that as many, or a few more, use slippers, especially as they are often unpacked and placed at bedside during turndown service, encouraging their use,” Mr. Dev said.

Hotel cleaning standards often dictate discarding slippers that have been removed from their packaging, according to members of Unite Here, the union that represents hotel housekeepers.

“Waste from hotel slippers may seem minor when compared to larger issues like energy consumption, food waste or water usage,” Mr. Legrand wrote. “However, at the end of the day, every bit of waste adds up and increasing attention is being paid to these aspects as part of a broader sustainable industry approach.”

Sourcing greener footwear

Hotel companies that have made commitments to banning single-use plastics have blazed a trail to more eco-friendly slippers.

Six Senses , a collection of 23 high-end resorts, offers slippers made from natural materials like jute or bamboo, or from recycled plastic. Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland stocks Kaaita felt slippers made from recycled plastic bottles that can be washed and reused or recycled at the end of their life span. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group phased out single-use slippers in 2022 and replaced them with models made of cardboard, cork and cotton that are cleaned and restocked in the rooms. The Dorian, Autograph Collection hotel in Calgary, Canada, stopped supplying disposable slippers in the hotel’s suites in favor of upgraded ones that are thicker and more durable; they are available on demand to guests in other rooms. Patrons are encouraged to take them home for “multiple uses rather than single use,” wrote Ian Jones, the general manager, in an email.

Green Key , which vets hotels for sustainability practices, suggests hotels make slippers and other single-use amenities available on request, rather than mandating elimination. In keeping with its commitment to eliminate single-use plastics, the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina only supplies slippers to guests who ask for them.

Few slipper-supplying resorts go as far to reduce footwear waste as Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali. At its on-site Sustainability Lab, which turns glass bottles into drinking glasses and old umbrellas into tote bags, shredded slipper parts become stuffing for bean bag chairs.

“By closing the loop on waste, we are creating a circular economy,” said Morgan Martinello, the resort’s general manager.

Refuse or reuse

Will travelers start bringing their own slippers the way they carry their own water bottles and shopping bags? They might have to.

“We are having many a debate about slippers, pens, cotton balls, toiletries,” said Oliver Milne-Watson, the general manager of the Newman , a luxury hotel set to open later this year in London. The rooms will not contain single-use plastics though the management has found it difficult to find a satisfying reusable slipper.

“We’re asking, ‘Can we make this with something with a longer life cycle and if not do we really need it?’” Mr. Milne-Watson said.

Experts doubt the needle on slippers will fully swing until travelers speak up.

“We are at the stage now with this as it was with food waste a few years ago,” Mr. LaGrand, the IU professor, said. “It is when we start monitoring, measuring and quantifying both the cost of sourcing and wasting that the realization kicks in: We must do something about it!”

They are already on the minds of some travelers.

“I’ve contemplated how short of a life span these tend to have in the past, and now I’ve gotten into the habit of taking my used pair with me when I leave the hotel,” said Karla Cobreiro, 33, a publicist based in Miami. She puts them in a carry-on alongside a sleep mask and other essentials. “Now I slip into them on long flights.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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Here are the top 10 smartest cities in the world — and none are in the U.S.

Smart cities in Europe and Asia are gaining ground globally while North American cities have fallen down the ranks, according to the 2024 Smart City Index released April.

Of the top 10 smart cities on the list, seven were in Europe.

This year's index was produced by the IMD World Competitiveness Center's Smart City Observatory in collaboration with the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) that's based in Seoul, South Korea.

The report ranks 142 smart cities worldwide based on data analyzed by researchers, as well as survey responses of 120 residents in each city. The study captures an overview of how the infrastructure and technology available in a city impacts the city's performance and the quality of life of its inhabitants.

So, what is a smart city?

According to the IMD , a smart city is defined as "an urban setting that applies technology to enhance the benefits and diminish the shortcomings of urbanization for its citizens."

With very few exceptions, cities in the top 20 are geographically located in areas where social and economic environments are relatively predictable, even against the overall climate of global uncertainties. IMD Smart City Index 2024

The cities that perform well on the list have also developed initiatives that cater to their citizens' overall quality of life.

"Such initiatives have focused on developing green spaces and broadening opportunities for cultural events and social bonding, for example," according to the report.

"In the majority of these leading cities, such efforts have been combined with innovative strategies to attract and retain talent, foster investment in a selective fashion [e.g. pro-sustainability], and tackle long standing issues regarding geographical inequalities and inclusion," the report said.

Here are the top 10 smart cities, according to the 2024 Smart City Index.

• Zurich, Switzerland
• Oslo, Norway
• Canberra, Australia
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Lausanne, Switzerland
• London, England
• Helsinki, Finland
• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Notably, for the first time since the index's inception in 2019, there is an absence of North American cities in the top 20.

"Using three year moving averages (i.e. comparing a city's average ranking for the period 2021-24 to that of the period 2020-23), a significant number of US cities have been losing ground," according to the report.

"This is the case in particular for Washington DC, Denver, and Los Angeles (-12, -12, and -11 respectively), but also for San Francisco (-9), New York City (-7), and Chicago (-4)."

The highest ranking U.S. city this year is New York City which ranked 34th, followed by Boston at 36th and Washington DC, coming in at 50th place.

While European cities dominated the list, Asian cities are gaining ground too.

Here are the top 5 smart cities in Asia:

• Singapore (5th)
• Beijing (13th)
• Taipei City (16th)
• Seoul (17th)
• Shanghai (19th)

Singapore has consistently ranked among the top 10 positions since the index's inception in 2019. It ranked 7th from 2020 to 2023 — except in 2022 when no rankings were released, and jumped up two positions this year.

Taipei City has also jumped 13 positions over the last year, from 29th in 2023 to 16th this year.

"Cities must design and adopt strategies that can resist the test of a future plagued with growing uncertainties, " said Bruno Lanvin, president of the Smart City Observatory.

"Health-related concerns remain high, while climate-related ones grow even larger; a mix complicated by renewed international tensions. Trust and good governance are growing in importance, and the significance of Al in city design and management is set to increase," he said in the report.

"Counterintuitive as it may sound, Al can help cities to become more human-centric," Lanvin added.

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