// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Guangzhou?

Guangzhou scores 28.8% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #153 of 213 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

28.8%

Rank

#153 / 213

Criteria present

16 / 86

Evidence coverage

40.7%

Guangzhou's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation50%

2 present · 0 partial · 2 absent · 11 not assessed

Mobility & Transport50%

2 present · 1 partial · 2 absent · 7 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate45%

3 present · 3 partial · 4 absent · 3 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste43%

0 present · 6 partial · 1 absent · 4 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion57%

2 present · 4 partial · 1 absent · 6 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment64%

4 present · 1 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model71%

3 present · 4 partial · 0 absent · 7 not assessed

Where Guangzhou is strong

  • Food Security & Urban Agriculture
  • Air Quality & Monitoring
  • Green Space & Biodiversity
  • Inclusion & Civic Participation
  • Innovation & Economic Development

Where the gaps are

  • Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles
  • Climate Action & Emissions
  • Culture, Tourism & Recreation
  • Active & Shared Mobility
  • Energy & Smart Grid

Evidence highlights

Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin · Integrated urban data platform

Guangzhou has an integrated urban data platform, evidenced by the "Guangzhou City Trusted Data Space" which facilitates the "trusted circulation of urban data," and a "Digital Government Operations Center" focused on "deeply mining data value" for digital g…

https://www.gz.gov.cn/

Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Public transport network

Guangzhou operates a public transport network that includes metro and bus services, with mentions of metro line expansions (Line 13 Phase 2) and direct bus and metro access to attractions. High-speed rail services also connect Guangzhou.

https://www.gz.gov.cn/m_index.html

Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Integrated / contactless ticketing

Guangzhou uses a smartcard system called "Yang Cheng Tong" for public transport, which residents are advised to carry when going out.

https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_5016696

Inclusion & Civic Participation · Online civic participation

Guangzhou provides online platforms for citizen interaction and input, including '互动交流' (Interaction and Exchange), '我要信访' (I want to complain/petition), '智能问答' (Smart Q&A), and the '穗好办' (Sui Hao Ban) platform available via WeChat public account, mini-prog…

https://www.gz.gov.cn/

About this assessment

Guangzhou was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-05 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found — see how smart cities are measured. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.