20 Of The Smartest Cities In The World 2025, Nothing From Southeast Asia

Illustration of city views (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Smart City Index 2025 report released by the International Society for Urban Informatics (ISUI) has just announced a list of the most intelligent cities in the world. The results are quite surprising, not a single city from Southeast Asia has managed to penetrate the top 20.

This assessment not only measures city intelligence in terms of technology, but also covers the main six dimensions, namely residents, the environment, social conditions, economy, infrastructure, and governance.

Each dimension has specific indicators, such as education, health, security, housing, and environmental sustainability.

In the first place, Stockholm, Sweden was named the most intelligent city in the world, followed by Washington DC, the United States in second place, and Barcelona, Spain in third place. A number of other major cities such as London, Tokyo, and Zurich are also at the top of the list.

The following is a complete list of 20 of the world's most intelligent cities in 2025, as reported by the Time Out page.

1. Stockholm, Sweden

2. Washington DC, United States

3. Barcelona, Spain

4. London, England

5. Tokyo, Japan

6. Zurich, Switzerland

7. New York, United States

8. Hong Kong

9. Copenhagen, Denmark

10. Oslo, Norway

11. Geneva, Switzerland

12. Helsinki, Finland

13. Seoul, South Korea

14. Auckland, New Zealand

15. Beijing, China

16. Philadelphia, United States

17. Berlin, Germany

18. Chicago, United States

19. Paris, France

20. Toronto, Canada

Although Asia has placed several cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Beijing on this list, none of the cities from Southeast Asia have made it to the top 20. In fact, several cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok are well known for their modern infrastructure and technology.